Reap What You Sow
by glambothefirst
Summary: The angels find themselves in the middle of two cases and one is hitting closer to home than they might like. -Complete-
1. Coach Sourpuss

_Well, here we are with another story. This one isn't related to the previous one mostly because I don't think I would able to remember enough to connect more than one story. This is based on an idea I had a few years back. It's a little out there but it was fun to write so my hope is that it will be fun to read as well. Enjoy_

 _\- glambo_

* * *

 _ **Saturday, November 6th** _

Running late really shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone.

It was kind of her thing. She was _always_ fashionably late and anybody who knew her for more than five minutes could tell you that. Sure, she had her strengths, it just so happened that time management wasn't very far up that list.

Jill glanced hesitatingly toward the passenger seat. Kelly had worked with her for the past three years, they'd briefly been roommates, and she was one her best friends in the whole, wide world. You'd think she would know that better than anyone.

So really, if she was so worried about getting home on time she wouldn't have agreed to running errands this afternoon with her in the first place.

It was her own fault, Jill decided.

"Oh, come on, Kelly." She sighed, fixing an apologetic smile on her face. "I said I was sorry."

Kelly sent a sideways glance her way. "You're not sorry." She said flatly.

Jill's smile widened despite herself. Though she _was_ sorry about not being able to drive Kelly home by 8:00 like they'd agreed to earlier, seeing her sulk was always funny. And seeing her with the girls later would be even funnier. "No, I _am_!" she insisted. "But, practice is only till 9:00. No later than that. You'll be home by 9:30, I promise."

"You _promised_ we'd be done shopping in time for me to go home and watch Mary Tyler Moore."

"Well, you saw how many people there were." Jill sighed. "If I drove you all the way home, there's no way I would have made it to the school on time and the girls would have been locked out and God knows what they would have gotten up to and then I'd have moms and dads jumping down my throat and I still need to set up the gym for them-"

"I could have taken the bus, you know." Kelly chimed in.

"There's not a bus stop near the school, the closest one is by-"

"Or called a cab." Kelly went on, counting on her fingers as she did. "Or called Bri to come get me. Or walked."

Jill looked at her friend like she was insane. "Walked? All the way home from the mall? By yourself? You can't do that."

"Oh, and I've _never_ had to walk anywhere by myself." Kelly deadpanned. "Please, I used to walk farther than that to school every day. And I was eight."

Jill gave up with a huff. "Oh, stop. Besides, they'll repeat it later."

Kelly let her head thump sullenly back against the headrest in response.

"I'll take you to dinner after practice. Anywhere you want." Jill offered.

Dinner in exchange for a couple of hours with the eight to ten year old members of the junior league girls' basketball team she coached three nights a week seemed a fair trade to Jill. As expected, Kelly perked up a bit.

"Anywhere?" She chanced after a moment.

Jill fought the urge to groan. Maybe she should have clarified. "Anywhere. But I've only got ten bucks on me-" She added quickly. "-so let's try to be reasonable."

Ten dollars must have seemed reasonable to Kelly. "Fine." She muttered after a beat. "Like I have a choice anyway."

"Exactly."

"That's what I thought." Kelly sighed. "Let's go practice, coach."

Jill giggled. "It won't be that bad, I swear it. You like kids! And they're good kids, they'll like you too. Kids always like you." She took one hand off of the steering wheel and reached over into the back seat. After a second of rooting around, she produced a yellow baseball cap, which she tossed into Kelly's lap.

Her eyes went back to the road, but she heard Kelly's slight laugh. She'd given Kelly one of her extra hats. "Coach" it said on the hat's front, in big red letters.

"Oh, I'm the coach too now?" She heard her say with definite amusement in her voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kelly gamely pop the cap onto her head. "That's all it takes, huh?"

"Every grown up is Coach." Jill explained patiently. "Even you." She released the wheel again to give Kelly a playful shove. "They don't know any better."

Kelly laughed. "It all starts at the top, doesn't it?" Resigned now to spending the evening coaching a basketball team's worth of pre-teen girls, Kelly finally relaxed. "I like this hat." She said after a moment. Jill heard her pulling her mirror out of her purse to admire it.

"Thanks. I had it made. You can keep that one." Jill laughed. "And thanks for coming with me. You saved me a lot of hassle." She reached over and sincerely patted Kelly's hand, hoping her friend could see just how incredibly grateful and heartfelt she was being right now. "Really, Kell. I owe you big time. Thank you."

"I didn't have a choice." Kelly pointed out again, effectively ruining the moment as only she could do.

 _Goddammit, Kelly_. Jill rolled her eyes and withdrew her hand. "I know, but you also didn't make me stop and drop you off on the side of the road and yell at me. So again: _thank you_ , sourpuss."

"Thank you, _Coach_ Sourpuss." Kelly corrected, adjusting her hat in the mirror. "I have a hat now, remember?"

Jill had to laugh. "Yeah, you do. And who knows? You might even like it. Give those kids one day and I'll bet you'll be asking me to bring you back."

Kelly smirked. "I've seen you play cards. I _know_ you're a better gambler than that."

"Better than you think." Jill said airily. They'd arrived at the school with fifteen minutes to spare. As they pulled into the mostly empty parking lot, the entrance to the school gym came into view. There were already a handful of girls milling about the locked doors, some sitting, some standing, some messing around with a basketball they'd brought from home. One of them caught sight of Jill's car as it approached and popped to her feet to wave enthusiastically at them. By the time Jill had pulled into the closest spot to the building, the entire group was waving at them, chattering excitedly and grabbing up their things. She chanced a glance at Kelly and was a bit surprised to see how nervous she looked.

"We're done at 9:00, right?" Kelly muttered, doubtfully surveying the excited kids.

Jill playfully batted the bill of her hat. "Yes, I promise. Now, hurry up, Coach Sourpuss. I have to introduce you to your team."

* * *

"There you go! Get your knees up!"

Jill turned and grinned at the sight of her best friend standing on the sidelines, helpfully calling out pointers as the girls ran drills. The kids scuttled by, dribbling haphazardly, their little faces scrunched up in concentration.

She listened to Kelly shout out a few more tips before shaking her head fondly and filling up the last of the paper cups with water. It looked like Kelly had everything under control for the moment. For someone who had earlier balked at the idea of tagging along during their practice, Kelly seemed right at home on the court.

The girls had really taken to her too, it seemed. They'd bombarded her with questions at first, as Jill had expected. But, apparently Kelly had made a good enough impression on them. They hung on her every word, doing exactly as she said, eager to please though they'd only just met her.

Jill finished the last cup and plugged up the water cooler, fighting the urge to laugh as she caught sight of Kelly, almost caught off guard by a basketball tossed her way by one of the girls. She didn't really catch it, Jill noted, she couldn't give her that much credit. It bounced against her shoulder and all Kelly had done was keep it from hitting the ground.

At least she could do that much.

One wouldn't know it by watching her, but Kelly- though very athletic in her own right - had zero skills in the way of the great game of basketball. Jill had played enough leisurely games of horse with her to know that throwing the ball towards the hoop was the extent of her knowledge.

But as usual, Kelly could fake her way through most anything and the girls were neither old enough nor experienced enough to know any different. Her hat said "Coach" on it after all.

Jill slid her whistle between her teeth and gave three short blasts, delighting in the fact that it made Kelly jump and drop the ball she'd been holding against her hip. The dribbling gradually came to a stop and the girls came trotting towards her, chattering excitedly.

Kelly glanced over her shoulder and figured out what was going on.

"Okay, ladies! Coach Jill says it's time for a water break!"

The girls cheered their approval and mobbed the table where Jill had set up the cups.

"Whoa! Careful!" Jill scolded gently. "You can't drink the water if you spill it everywhere, ya goobers."

"Sorry, Coach Jill." One of the girls said out of obligation. She was one of the smaller girls, with light brown hair tied back into a ponytail and freckles all over the bridge of her nose. They were even more prominent now with her cheeks so flushed from running. Jill had seen her following Kelly around like a little puppy. "Can I ask you a question, Coach Jill?"

Jill grinned playfully. "You already did, Susan." She teased.

Susan groaned. "No, a _real_ question!" She insisted. "Is Coach Kelly coming to our first game next Saturday?"

The other kids had been emitting a dull roar of sound, yet somehow Susan's question managed to pierce through the din.

"Yes! You should come!" Another of the girls cried happily, sloshing water out of her cup as she hurried over to Kelly's side. "You have to come see us play!"

Kelly looked helplessly toward her for rescue, but Jill only laughed. "I don't know, Coach Kelly. Do you want to come to our game next Saturday?" She asked innocently.

"Uh-" Kelly started. More girls followed, surrounding poor Kelly, tugging on her arms and her shirt. "Please come, you have to come!" they cried at her. "Please, please, please!"

Kelly finally relented. "Well, since you invited me…." She said, deliberately fixing her with a dead eyed stare. Jill was sure Kelly wanted to throttle her, but seeing her so awkward was worth it. "Sure, I'd love to come to your game next Saturday."

A cheer went up from the crowd of girls and Jill burst into laughter at the look on Kelly's face when they began jumping up and down and bombarding her with sweaty hugs. She nearly lost her balance but somehow managed to stay on her feet.

"Okay, okay, break it up. You guys are gonna suffocate her. " Jill called, finally deciding to come to her aid. "You've got three more minutes for your break, go finish your water." She blew her whistle again and, giggling and squealing, the little girls released Kelly and scurried off.

Kelly waited, still smiling, until the kids were out of ear shot. "You did that on purpose, Coach Jill." She accused gently.

Jill gasped in mock indignation. "What?! Me?! Never!"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh, get over it. You're not busy anyway." Jill teased.

Kelly raised a brow at her. "And how do you know that?"

"Because you never go anywhere unless me or Bri make you and it's Saturday night and you're with _me_ , cause God knows you won't date anyone which should leave you with _plenty_ of pent up energy that needs burning off." Jill answered her bluntly, eliciting a surprised laugh from her friend. "Besides-" She went on, with a smile. "They're hard to say no to, aren't they?"

A high pitched shriek went up from the crowd of girls and both Jill and Kelly turned towards it. They might have been alarmed, but squeals of laughter and a chorus of hoots and hollers immediately followed it. One of them had spilled their water all over themselves. They weren't the most coordinated bunch, Jill knew, but still…

Kelly shook her head, but she was still smiling. "Yeah, yeah they are."

"You'll have fun." Jill insisted, clapping her friend on the back. She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe we'll have to see about getting you a whistle too."

Kelly laughed. "Oh, a whistle? Hmm, no turning back now."

"Nope. At least not until after next Saturday." Jill said happily. She couldn't help herself. "I told you you'd be back. Looks like I win that bet after all." She added smugly.

Before she could give Kelly a chance to say anything back, she popped the whistle in her mouth and gave a short blast before jogging off, leaving her friend standing by the water cooler.


	2. The Letter

Practice was finished half an hour later and by 9:15, the last girl had been picked up by her parents. It was nearing 10:00 by the time Jill and Kelly made sure the gym was clean, dumped out and stored the cooler, locked up the building and climbed into Jill's Cobra. The sun had set and the November air had grown chilly while they wrapped up the evening's practice so it was a relief to finally get inside the car and turn on the heater.

They were already pulling out into the evening traffic when Kelly finally got a glance at the clock on the dashboard.

"It's already 10:00?" Kelly blurted out, genuinely surprised.

"Mmmhmm." Jill confirmed absently. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as the girls rolled to a stop at a red light. "What do you feel like eating? You want a hamburger from that place by Bri's?" Her eyes lit up. "Hey, call her and see if she wants to come! Tell her we'll pick her up."

It was like Kelly hadn't heard a word she said. Instead of picking up the phone, she turned in her seat, her arms crossed over her chest. "Hey, remember when you promised I'd be home by 9:00?" Kelly teased. "Gosh, you think I'd know you better by now."

Jill huffed. "No, I said practice would be _over_ by 9:00 I didn't say you'd be home by 9:00. I said you'd home by 10:00, which you _would_ if we skipped that dinner I promised you." She grinned broadly. "And you wouldn't want to skip the most important meal of the night would you?"

Apparently, she didn't, because Kelly only laughed.

"I didn't think so." Jill replied haughtily. She picked up the receiver of her mobile phone and tossed it into Kelly's lap. "Besides, you didn't even notice until right now, so shut up."

Kelly shot her a playful glare, but nonetheless, dialed out Sabrina's number and pulled the receiver to her ear. Jill could hear it ringing on the other line a few times before Sabrina picked up.

"Hey, Bri." Kelly greeted in a dry monotone. "Jill kidnapped me and she won't let me go home so-"

"Oh, I did not!" Jill called out irritably. She raised her voice hoping Sabrina could hear. "I didn't, Bri. She had fun, she just won't admit it."

Fighting laughter, Kelly turned away and cupped the phone to her ear. "I don't know what the hell we're talking about either. Anyway, what are you doing?" She paused for a moment and then sent Jill a sideways look. "Bri got to watch Mary Tyler Moore because nobody kidnapped her."

Jill thumped her head back with a groan. "You are impossible."

Chuckling, Kelly returned to the phone. "Well, Jill made me miss it so she's feeding me. We're going to that burger place by your house. You wanna come?"

"Tell her to be ready in five minutes."

Kelly turned and raised an eyebrow at her. "Uh-huh. Yeah. We'll be there in fifteen minutes. Bye, Bri."

Jill shot her a look as she hung up the phone. "What did you tell her fifteen for?"

"Because we're fifteen minutes away, Jill." Kelly marveled at her. "Wow, time really just works differently for you, doesn't it? No wonder you're always late."

Almost exactly fifteen minutes later, Jill was forced to begrudgingly admit to Kelly that she had been right about their arrival time. She gamely endured Kelly's victorious crowing as Sabrina walked out of her building the moment they pulled up to the front and then the girls were off. Dinner was surprisingly good. Either a day of shopping and coaching had left her extremely hungry, or the fry cook in the back was having an exceptionally good night. Either way, Jill was satisfied and, after paying for both Kelly and Sabrina's meal –she found an extra five in her purse and she was in a generous mood- both of her best friends were satisfied too.

Having been left out of the day's activities due to a previous engagement, Sabrina wasn't quite ready to call it a night after dinner and so just after 11:30, Jill pulled her Cobra along the curb in front of Kelly's house.

What they would get up to tonight, Jill had no idea. But, as far as she knew, they all had the day off tomorrow and a few games of cards or a movie sounded like a good way to wind down after a long day. Hell, as long as a client didn't call Charlie between now and the morning, maybe even a drink or two was in order.

The three women were in good spirits as they climbed out of Jill's car and, still laughing at Sabrina's joke about Kelly's hat – which she'd amusingly sported all through dinner and was still wearing- made their way to her front door.

"Kelly, it's cold." Sabrina whined, when Kelly irritatingly chose to turn and check the mailbox slot attached to the wall before unlocking her front door. "Open the door already."

"Oh, you'll live." Kelly replied patiently, but she turned and handed her keys to Sabrina nonetheless. "Besides, if I don't check it before I get inside, I'll forget. Then my bills will stay out here and I won't pay them and then money will just start piling up around here and I won't know what to do with it."

"How about you buy a little monkey to match your yellow hat?" Sabrina cracked, keying open the door.

"Hey, I happen to think that's a very nice hat." Jill shot back.

Kelly was still rooting through her mail as she stepped inside. She'd been in a good mood since practice and there was still a playful smile on her face. If she'd taken offense at Sabrina joking about her hat, she didn't show it. "Let her be jealous, Jill. Not everyone is coach material."

Sabrina snickered. "Oh, that's right. You're the coach now. Climbing that ladder one step at a time, aren't you?" She shrugged off her sweater and tossed it over the arm of Kelly's living room couch.

Kelly ignored her. "Hey, I got a letter." she mused. She stared at it curiously for a moment and then began ripping it open.

Sabrina's mind was on other things. "It's a thank you card from Ross McNeil, the liquor store guy. I got it today too. Hey, you got any of that stuff left that he gave us after we helped him clean up those broken bottles?"

Assuming that Sabrina was addressing Kelly, Jill plopped herself down on the couch and grabbed up the TV guide Kelly had left open on the coffee table, eager to see what program would be the backdrop to their drinking. She'd been half listening for Kelly's response, however, and when several moments went by without an answer, she looked up to see what the distraction was.

Kelly had pulled out her letter and unfolded it, completely oblivious to Sabrina's question. Instead of answering, she seemed to be engrossed in whatever it had to say.

"Kelly." Sabrina called again. "That strong stuff. Did we finish it all on my birthday or is there more left?"

Impatient now, Jill popped to her feet. "Hello? Kelly!"

Kelly flinched and finally looked up, acting as if she'd just appeared in the room. "Oh, were you…were you talking to me?"

"Well, you live here, don't you?" Sabrina laughed.

Kelly blushed. "Sorry…um, what were you ask-"

"Do you still have any of that strong stuff Mr. McNeil gave us?" Sabrina repeated, a little slower and a little louder.

"Oh. Um, yeah there's some left I think. Not a lot. But there's a couple bottles of wine and I think there's some whiskey in the cabinet too. Help yourself."

Her voice had taken on an odd far-off tone that Jill immediately picked up on. She shot a glance Sabrina's way and saw that she wasn't the only one who had noticed.

"Are you okay?" Jill chanced, edging closer to her friend.

Kelly lowered the letter defensively to her side. "Oh, yeah. It's… it's fine."

"That's not the thank you card, is it?" Sabrina guessed, gesturing toward the letter Kelly was trying to hide. It was a sheet of notebook paper, Jill noted, handwritten in black ink in what she guessed was a woman's handwriting.

Kelly gave them a forced smile. "Oh, no. No, I got that yesterday. This is something else."

"Let me guess, it's not a bill either." Sabrina chanced carefully, trotting over to her side.

Kelly had left the torn envelope the letter arrived in on the little table she kept by the front door. Sabrina plucked it off of the top of a pile of magazines and junk mail and studied its front.

"Who's Helen Martin?" she asked. "She give you some bad news?"

Kelly looked lost for a moment. "Uh - no, not really." She appeared to give herself a mental slap, a desperate attempt at getting herself back to normal and smiled. "She's just an old friend."

"From school?" Jill guessed, watching as Kelly nonchalantly folded the letter back up and tossed it on the table. Something wasn't quite right with her and, despite Kelly's smiling front, she knew whatever was in that letter had rattled her.

"From the orphanage," Kelly answered with a dismissive shrug. "What do you want to drink? Let's get that stuff. Did you find a movie to watch?"

Her voice was cheerful now, just as it had been earlier, but neither Jill nor Sabrina were fooled.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sabrina asked carefully. "If you want to talk about anything, I mean, we're right-"

"It's nothing. Really." Kelly sighed irritably. She disappeared into the kitchen, a cabinet door opened and shut, and then she was back with a stack of three glasses and the half-full bottle of Scotch Sabrina had been asking after. "C'mon, let's blow off some steam."

Sabrina and Jill shared a look.

"Okay, Kelly-" Jill chanced again. "But, if you-"

"The woman who was the matron at my orphanage when I was a little kid died." Kelly blurted out, almost angrily. "Helen wrote me to let me know. That's it. Can we move on now?"

Sabrina bit her lip. "Sorry. We were just worried is all. You seemed kinda shook up." She said, hoping to placate her friend. "I'm sorry about your… uh, your matron? Your friend shoulda called so maybe you could have had time to make it to the funeral and-"

To their surprise, Kelly snorted. "Go to her funeral?"

"Oh…" Sabrina turned to Jill for help. "Uh…I mean…if that's-"

Realization suddenly washed over Jill. Kelly usually kept her stories to herself, but she had been drunk enough a few times to let some slip. They weren't pleasant stories and she never went into much detail, but Jill knew enough. Enough to know that maybe that letter wasn't bad news after all. "Was it that crazy one that died?" She guessed, waiting to gauge Kelly's reaction. "You know…the one-"

"They were all crazy." Kelly didn't give her much of a reaction to work with, but Jill guessed she was right. "I guess Helen wanted me to know."

"That was nice of her to give you some closure." Jill offered.

"I guess," Kelly muttered. The sudden burst of anger was gone, but she still seemed a bit off. "Well, good riddance, right? Come on, I'll help you find a movie. Bri, grab that whiskey, would ya?"

Jill watched her stalk off into the living room to grab up the TV guide she'd left on the arm of the couch. Kelly probably wasn't as okay as she was pretending to be, but she clearly wasn't in the mood for sharing right now. She sighed and glanced at Sabrina, who only shrugged.

"If she doesn't want to talk about it, she doesn't want to talk about it," Sabrina said quietly. She gave Jill a clap on the shoulder before heading to the kitchen to obey orders.

Jill watched her go, wondering what she should do if anything at all. She didn't like seeing Kelly upset, hated that, even though she knew a little, the vast majority of her best friend's past was a mystery. It would probably always be a mystery. Maybe that was for the best, Jill thought to herself darkly. Whatever was in that letter that upset Kelly was only just a small part of that dark past.

Oh, well. Maybe later they'd get it out of her.

For now, an evening of fun might just be the best medicine.

* * *

 ** _Sunday, November 7th (but just barely)_**

As the night drew on, Jill was somewhat relieved to see that she was right.

Kelly relaxed and eventually, she was all smiles again, laughing and joking with her and Sabrina as they played cards and watched television in the living room. There was plenty of liquor and all three girls had made good use of Ross McNeil's leftover Scotch. Kelly especially, Jill had noted with a bit of dismay.

It shouldn't have bothered Jill as much as it did- Kelly was a grown woman after all- but she drank far more than she normally would have. Drink after drink until she was slurring her words and too far gone to follow a conversation.

Of course, the letter had rattled her and- while Jill would rather she had talked about it with them- this was Kelly's stupid way of handling it.

Jill sighed and stretched herself out on Kelly's couch. There were better ways of handling emotions, but she wasn't about to get into that with Kelly. She gave a yawn and glanced up at the clock that sat on the shelf above the TV. It was late now. Past three in the morning.

Sabrina had gone to bed an hour ago. Jill could hear her soft snores coming through the half-open door of the guest bedroom.

They hadn't planned to, but Kelly had gone and gotten herself so drunk that both girls had mutually decided that they didn't want to leave her alone tonight. It seemed normal enough, Jill thought to herself. They often stayed over at each other's places, so much so that they just left a few changes of clothes scattered around, especially after working late into the night.

Or drinking.

Either way, it wasn't out of the ordinary when Jill announced that she was staying over. Sabrina agreed she'd stay as well and just like that it was a sleepover. Kelly hadn't even gotten defensive about it and that made things feel more like normal too. She and Sabrina helped Kelly to her bed around one in the morning and after checking in on her a few more times, decided she'd sleep through the night without getting sick.

Jill yawned again and let her head fall back against the soft couch cushion. She'd been hoping that the alcohol would have made Kelly loosen up enough to start talking about what was bothering her, but unfortunately, that hadn't been the case. Instead of helping her open up, all it did was make her clumsy, tired, and sick.

Now she was sleeping it off. Something Jill should be doing as well. She told herself and Sabrina that she'd go to bed once she knew for sure that Kelly would be alright, yet here she was. Sitting in the pre-dawn gloom of Kelly's living room while both of her friends slept.

She'd be lying to herself though if she said she didn't know exactly what she was doing.

"It's none of your business, Jill." Sabrina had warned her earlier, just after Kelly had gone to bed. She'd been dumb enough to mention the letter again. "Just because she didn't tear it into a thousand pieces and light it on fire doesn't mean she wants you reading her mail."

"Aren't you even a tiny bit curious? Don't you want to know what it said?" Jill had countered.

"Of course I want to know. And Kelly can tell us what it said when she wants to tell us what it said. And if she doesn't want to tell us what it said, you need to be a good friend and respect that. Leave it alone."

Jill listened to Sabrina's snoring for a few moments until suddenly she could no longer stand the anticipation. Feeling guilty, but far too curious to let that stop her, she padded over to Kelly's entry table and snatched up the folded up letter from the top of the pile.

It couldn't have been that bad, Jill thought to herself, more to assuage her guilt than anything. If it was really bad, Kelly would have stuck it in her pocket or gotten rid of it. Instead, she left it there on the table where anyone could pick it up and read it.

A thought occurred to her. Maybe Kelly _wanted_ someone to read her letter.

That had to be it, Jill decided.

Even though she could hear Sabrina snoring and there was no way Kelly would have been able to walk out of her room unassisted- let alone quietly enough to be able to sneak up on her- Jill was still too guilty to stand there in the middle of the living room with evidence in her hand. She tucked the contraband letter against her side and slipped into the bathroom, for some reason feeling the need to lock the door behind her.

Jill flipped the light switch and waited impatiently for her bleary eyes to adjust to the garish light of Kelly's hall bathroom. She felt stupid for doing it, but she looked over her shoulder one last time before finally bringing the letter up to her face to read.

 _11/2/76_

 _Dear Kelly,_

 _I hope this letter finds you well._

 _This is Helen Sutherland from St. Frances' Orphanage in Dallas. I apologize if my married name on the return address confused you. I don't know if you'll even remember me, it's been such a long time, but I remember you and I do think of you often._

 _I hope you don't mind my looking you up. I'm writing because I thought you should know that Esther Beamish went missing several weeks ago. I am still living in Dallas and her face has been on the news nearly every night. The authorities think her age may have caused her to go senile and wander off. I don't know if that was the case or not. She's presumed dead and as of yesterday, the search has been called off._

 _I do believe she is dead. And if she isn't I can only hope that she is somewhere suffering horribly. She was cruel to all of us, but especially to you. That's why I thought you should know. I don't know if this news will help heal old wounds, but I thought you should know that she's gone._

 _There's another reason I wrote to you. You aren't obligated to by any means, but I won't know unless I ask you. I've written a few other girls too that used to live at St. Frances that I was able to track down. I've gotten responses from a few and I am wondering if I can get one from you as well._

 _The church is planning a memorial for her next month. The news stations have painted her as a saint almost. There's talk of renaming one of the halls in her honor. I don't think I can stand to let this happen. I believe that everything she did to us and many others at St. Frances is one of the church's ugliest secrets. I don't think it should be a secret anymore._

 _I plan on going to the diocese and telling them who she really was. I'd like your help, Kelly. After the horrible things she did to us, it makes me feel ill to think that she could get away with it in death. She was a monster and she should be remembered as a monster._

 _I'm sorry if this letter brought back some unpleasant memories for you. It was a bad time for all of us, and she was so horrible to you. I always pitied you. I hope life is different for you now. I hope you are happy and doing well._

 _You don't have to feel obligated to do this, but if you choose to, you can come to Dallas the weekend of December 4th. A few of the other girls have already agreed to come. If that is asking too much, you can write me back. Send a letter with the details of what she did to you and I'll take it with me. If you'd like to speak further with me about this, or need assistance planning your trip, I've enclosed my phone number below. I understand if you don't want to, but it would be lovely to hear from you again._

 _Take care, Kelly. I look forward to hearing from you soon._

 _Your friend,_

 _Helen S. Martin_

 _214-555-3753_

It was another minute or so before Jill could do anything more than stare stupidly at the neatly printed lines of text.

Finally, she took a deep breath and folded the letter back up as carefully as she could. Her stomach felt sour and she knew it had nothing to do with the amount of Scotch she'd consumed.

A memory from their academy days floated back to her. One of the first times Kelly had ever brought up her childhood. She'd been much more guarded in those days, it was a challenge to get her to loosen up. But, she and Sabrina had gotten her so drunk that she'd upset a candle and spilled the wax all over her hand and a plate of popcorn. It hadn't hurt her, but it did lead to a "funny" story of someone at her school making the children hold candles without wax catchers and punishing anyone who dropped theirs when the hot wax burned their fingers. That was the first time she had ever realized that maybe Kelly's childhood had not been a particularly happy one.

Jill shuddered. She hadn't outright said it was the orphanage, but it had to be and it had to have been Beamish she'd been talking about. Kelly was laughing when she drunkenly shared that, though Jill and Sabrina sure hadn't been. And if _that_ was a laughing matter to her, Jill didn't want to think about the things Kelly considered too dark to share.

And here was Helen S. Martin begging her to do just that.

Small wonder she'd gotten herself hammered.

Feeling conflicted between hiding her crime and shaking Kelly awake to hear what she planned to do, Jill quietly slipped out of the bathroom, being careful not to look at her reflection in the mirror as she did.

She was only trying to help, she told herself guiltily, even if stealing Kelly's letter was wrong.

But, to have this information and know she couldn't bring it up? That was even worse!

The whole situation made her nauseated.

Jill stole back up to the entry table and carefully set Kelly's letter down in the exact same position it had been when she'd picked it up a few minutes earlier. She didn't want to sleep on the couch and Sabrina had sprawled herself across the middle of the bed in the guest room, so Kelly's room it was. Maybe Kelly would want to talk about it tomorrow, she thought to herself as she quietly entered the bedroom. After the bright bathroom lights, the darkness of Kelly's bedroom was difficult to navigate. After one stubbed toe, Jill managed to make her way to the bed and carefully crept underneath the covers, being careful not to dip the mattress and wake her friend.

Why she bothered being careful she had no idea. Kelly was a very light sleeper normally, but right now, Jill doubted a runaway train crashing through her living room could wake her. Still, what kind of friend stole someone's letter _and_ jostled her awake at 3:30 in the morning all in one night?

She made herself comfortable and forced herself to relax. Beside her, she could hear Kelly's breathing, soft and even, and wondered if that letter would be affecting her dreams. She felt an overwhelming need to help her decide, but she could only do that if Kelly asked.

Jill sighed and closed her eyes. Maybe she would want to talk in the morning. Or tomorrow night.

Whenever she did, Jill hoped she knew that her friends would be there to listen.


	3. Regrets, I've Had a Few

_**Sunday, November 7th (with sunlight**_ )

"Good morning, sunshine."

Jill glanced over her shoulder at Sabrina's teasing announcement.

It was almost 10:30. Jill had been awake for a few hours now and, while Kelly and Sabrina slept, made herself busy tidying up the mess they made in the living room last night. Sabrina had gotten out of bed about forty-five minutes ago and, both hungry, the girls decided to make some coffee and scavenge through Kelly's fridge to see what they could put together for breakfast. She'd just been wondering how much later Kelly was going to sleep when Sabrina finally announced her arrival. She turned and saw Kelly shuffle tiredly into the kitchen.

Poor Kelly looked exactly as could be expected for how much she drank last night. She was squinting her eyes against the light coming in through the window, though Sabrina had partially closed the curtain. It seemed like she hadn't bothered doing anything with her hair other than pulling it out of her face, but at least she'd changed clothes. She was functioning at least that much.

"Morning." Kelly croaked, sliding ungracefully into one of the kitchen chairs next to Sabrina. She propped her elbows on the table and miserably buried her face in her hands.

"How are you feeling?" Jill called cheerfully.

Kelly mumbled something into her hands that neither girl was able to decipher and then let her forehead slip down to the cool surface of her kitchen table with a soft thud. It seemed there were some regrets this morning.

If anyone was hungover at breakfast, nine out of ten times, it was Sabrina. But not this morning and the completely clear headed brunette wasn't about to waste this opportunity to finally be on the other side of the table. She took a loud, deliberate sip of her coffee as she eyed what remained of her best friend.

"So, you ready to party again tonight?" She asked innocently.

Kelly groaned. "My gun is in the end table. One of you needs to shoot me. Or use your gun if that's easier. I don't care, just make it quick."

Jill laughed and flounced over to the table with two plates of eggs, bacon, and toast – one for her and one for Sabrina. For Kelly, she poured a cup of black coffee and set it down beside her head. That would be as good a start to breakfast as she was capable of at the moment and would be much more humane than shooting her.

"Drink that. You'll feel better." Jill told her, with a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks," Kelly mumbled. She picked her head up as Jill sat down to eat and looked blearily around her kitchen, eyes still squinting against the shaft of sunlight streaming in from the window. She looked around guiltily for a moment and then took a careful sip of her coffee. Jill hadn't put anything in it and Kelly made a face at the bitter taste but took another one anyway before setting her mug down.

"You okay?" Jill asked through a mouthful of eggs.

Kelly heaved a tired sigh. "I think I'll live." She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palms and slumped back in her seat. "Sorry for making an ass of myself last night."

Jill and Sabrina shared an amused look. "We've all been there." Sabrina laughed. "At least you didn't get sick."

Kelly groaned again. "Ugh. That's what you think."

"Well, then at least you didn't get sick on us." Sabrina clarified. "You want me to get you some Excedrin?"

Kelly sighed miserably. "I already took some. Anyway, I'm sorry." She looked awkward for a moment and lowered her eyes to the table to avoid eye contact. "But…thanks for staying. And-" She fumbled for words, but apparently it was too much effort because she gave up. "Well, thanks."

That was as close to heartfelt as Kelly ever got.

"Don't thank me, I was drunk. I didn't have a choice." Jill piped up cheerfully.

Finally, Kelly cracked a weak smile.

"Besides, you're my assistant coach now. I made an investment." Jill went on. "Plus, your house has the most food in it." She took a big bite of toast and grinned happily.

Kelly laughed softly, eyeing the pans Jill had scattered around the kitchen. "It did." She put her coffee cup down and gave a heavy sigh "So should I call her or what?"

"Call who?" Sabrina asked. Of course, Sabrina was confused.

Jill felt her blood run cold. And of course, she was not. She almost choked on the toast in her mouth, coughed a few times, and then quickly washed it down with some coffee. So much for playing it cool. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Kelly gave her a look. "Spare me. I know you read that letter. I meant to go put it somewhere but I…well, I didn't."

Sabrina looked offended. "What are you talking about? We didn't read your letter, Kell." She insisted. "We wouldn't do that to you."

"Someone did," Kelly said wearily.

Jill suddenly felt two sets of eyes on her and felt her face get hot. But, she'd put it back right where she'd found it! How could Kelly possibly know?

"We wouldn't do that to Kelly, would we, Jill?" Sabrina asked, a hard edge to her voice. "Because Kelly is our best friend and we respect her and her privacy."

Jill looked up from her eggs. "Um-"

" _Would_ we, Jill?" Sabrina asked, more firmly now.

"No! I mean, maybe if-" Jill was able to keep it together only a few seconds longer before her façade came crumbling down. "Okay, okay!" She blurted out. "It was me. I was-"

"Jill!" Sabrina cried out. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You said you'd leave it alone!"

"I know I did, but I was worried and-"

"And so you stole Kelly's mail?!" Sabrina went on angrily. "Tampering with mail is a federal offense just in case you don't remember what you were taught at the academy."

"I didn't _tamper_!" Jill cried helplessly. "It was sitting there out in the open and I….I just kinda read it."

Sabrina snorted. "You mean you kind of picked it up off the table and unfolded it and read it when I told you not to."

"Well, how did you even know it was folded! Or where it was?!" Jill shot back heatedly. "You wanted to read it too! I saw you staring at it!"

"Staring isn't the same as invading someone else's privacy, Jill."

Jill came up short."Well… it could be. In some cases."

Sabrina rolled her eyes and turned back to Kelly. "I'm sorry, Kelly. _I_ didn't touch your letter." She sent Jill a sideways glare. "And I told her not to either."

"I said I was sorry!" Jill pleaded. "I was just worried! You were acting weird and… I just wanted to help. Don't be mad at me."

Kelly was staring intently at the coffee in her mug. "It's okay." She answered after a moment. "I'm not mad. I guess I would have told you. Eventually." There was an awkward pause before Kelly cleared her throat and asked again. "So… should I call her?"

Jill felt her stomach turn. She forced herself to look up and meet her friend's gaze. Kelly looked almost afraid, she noted sadly. It had taken a lot from her to bring it up and she was probably dreading the answer she expected Jill to give. "I… I don't know, Kell." Jill answered her carefully. "Is this something you feel like you can do?"

Kelly took another sip of coffee- she was thinking- and rolled the warm mug between her hands. "I don't know." She answered finally.

"Excuse me, what are you two talking about?" Sabrina cut in, annoyed at being left out. "Can you explain, please, for the people who didn't go behind your back and go through your mail without permission?"

Because it was her story to tell, Jill hung back and looked expectantly at Kelly to explain.

She took a breath as if she were about to, but apparently decided she didn't have the energy to go through even explaining it. Instead, she gave up with a loud sigh and flipped her hand toward the living room. "Oh, hell. I don't even know how to explain it. The damn thing is over there. I'd get it for you, but I don't feel like mopping my kitchen later."

"I'll get it." Jill offered, pushing her chair away from the table. She padded over to the living room where Kelly's letter was sitting right where she had left it last night. It seemed to be perfectly in place and Jill wondered just how in the hell Kelly -too hungover to walk from room to room- had known it had been moved.

Maybe she didn't know. Maybe she just knew her friends.

Again, Jill felt her cheeks burn. It felt strange picking up the letter in broad daylight. She carefully unfolded it, brought it back to the kitchen and wordlessly handed it to Sabrina.

Kelly didn't say anything while Sabrina read, so Jill decided to shut her mouth too. Instead, she studied Kelly's face, so full of dread and so obviously uncomfortable that it was hard to look at her. The kitchen was silent until Sabrina slapped the letter down beside her plate of half-eaten eggs.

"Oh shit, Kelly." Sabrina muttered when she was done reading. "This is heavy. Just who is this Helen Martin?"

Kelly lowered her eyes to the table. "She was Helen Sutherland when I knew her. I don't remember her too well. We weren't very close, I think she was a year or two ahead of me. We lived in the same hall."

"And this Beamish?" Sabrina asked, a little more softly. "Who…I mean…-" She floundered for a moment before Kelly decided to help.

"She was our matron." She started slowly. Her voice had gone monotone, Jill noticed. She was staring hard into her coffee cup, trying valiantly to keep herself in check. "A matron is in charge of your room and making sure you had towels and soap or whatever and if you were sick she was in charge of you too."

"That's what she was _supposed_ to do." Jill clarified.

" _Supposed_ to do." Kelly agreed. "She…let's just say she wasn't very good at her job." She gave a sarcastic laugh. "At least from where I was standing."

Sabrina glanced at Jill before narrowing her eyes. "Is… was she as bad as your friend is saying?" Her brown eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait, is this the bitch who used to lock you in a closet? The one that-"

"You got it." Jill sang.

Kelly blew out the breath she'd been holding and slumped forward, rubbing her temples with both hands. "Yes. And I don't really want to talk about her. My head hurts. I just…I don't know…what do I do?"

Jill bit her lip. It must have been a shock to have all of those old memories dredged up all at once last night out of nowhere and after such a nice, relaxing evening. It was a lot for Kelly to have to sit here and hash it out with the two of them and it would be even more to have to do the same with someone who actually knew the monster in her stories and had seen firsthand the events that haunted her dreams. Would it be worth reliving those nightmares? "Do you think they can do it without you?" Jill settled on.

"I don't know," Kelly muttered. She rubbed her temples again and squeezed her eyes shut. "I haven't heard from any of those people since I was a kid. I didn't think I ever would again... or… or hear about them. And now I get this letter and this kid I barely knew is wanting me to go down to Dallas-" She paused to throw up her hands. "- to Dallas! That's a six-hour flight! And go and …and…and she _pities_ me?" Kelly blurted out, her voice suddenly angry. "Like I need… I don't need her _pity_. I don't need _anyone's_ pity. And.. and she wants me to… and I have to tell some priest-"

Sabrina laid a hand on her arm to stop her rambling. "Easy. You don't have to do anything." She pointed out calmly. "She's asking a lot from you. You don't have to decide right away. It's not till next month. Take a couple of days."

The interruption gave her a chance to settle herself down. "I don't think she should be honored." Kelly said flatly, after a moment.

"And I think there's a lot of girls that would agree with you there," Sabrina said. "We can't really decide for you, because we don't know what you went through. All I can say is to do what you feel like you need to do, Kell."

"You don't need to go anywhere. She did say you could write a letter." Jill pointed out. "Would that be easier?"

Kelly gave a humorless laugh. "To write it all out? I don't think I could."

"You could seal it and no one would see it but whoever you're giving it to." Sabrina offered. She narrowed her eyes and shot Jill a look. "Unless Columbo over here decides to accidentally rip the envelope open and accidentally read it before you send it."

"Oh my God, Bri!" Jill set down her coffee a mug a little harder than normal, sending the hot liquid sloshing out of the sides and over her hand. "It's not like I held the damn thing up to the light to see it! It was open and lying there on the table and I was worried-"

"Would you _stop_?" Kelly cut in irritably. "I don't care!" She groaned and rubbed her temples again. "And can you…can you stop yelling, please? It's making the room tilt."

Jill scoffed at her. "Well, it's your own damn fault for getting wasted instead of telling us what was going on."

Kelly surprised her by giving her head a slight nod. "I know." She said softly. "I'm sorry. I was stupid. I should have just told you."

That took the wind right out of Jill's sails. She took a deep breath and, finally realizing her hand was wet, wiped it on a kitchen towel that was lying in the middle of the table. "Look, you don't owe that girl anything." She said after a moment. "Beamish is dead. You can't get revenge on a dead woman."

More surprises as Sabrina nodded in agreement. "Call her if you want to. But, it looks like there are other people lining up to do exactly what Helen is asking you to do. You don't have to put yourself through it."

Kelly sighed miserably. "Yeah. Maybe I'll call her tomorrow. I…I don't know."

"Sleep on it," Sabrina suggested and then grinned. "Sober, I mean."

"Yeah," Kelly said absently. "Thanks."

The mood was uncomfortable for a while, with only the sounds of eating and sips of coffee to fill the silence. Finally, Jill could stand it no longer. "You should eat something." She blurted out, startling Kelly into spilling some of her drink. "It'll settle your stomach."

Kelly wiped her hands. "No, I'm okay."

"You sure? Some toast, maybe?"

The nauseated look on her friend's face told Jill that was off the table as well.

"No. Let's… let's not mention food. Ever again." Kelly muttered. She took another sip of coffee and then pushed the mug away in disgust. "I think I'll go back to bed though. I don't feel good." She stood and then glanced back up at her friends, a guilty look on her face. "You don't have to stick around here if you have things to do. I'll be okay."

Jill waved her off. "Go on to bed. If we leave, we'll let you know."

Kelly smiled gratefully at them. "Thanks."

She padded slowly out of the kitchen and was gone. Sabrina was staring after her, Jill noted. Probably waiting for Kelly to be out of earshot. Jill's guess was spot on. As soon as they heard the door shut to Kelly's room, Sabrina whirled on her.

"Can you believe this shit?!" She told Jill in a harsh whisper.

Jill blinked. "What part of the shit?"

"They want to make a fucking memorial to that bitch?!" Sabrina ranted on. "How did she get away with what she was doing for …God knows how long?! And you're telling me nobody caught her? Are you kidding me?! What is it with these Catholics?!"

"You were the Catholic, you tell me. I'm not Catholic." Jill replied.

Sabrina scoffed. "I know that! I wasn't talking about you. I mean… just in general. These people seem like they get away with everything because they work in a church. It's still a building full of people and somehow _no one_ catches her or investigates? I mean, come on!"

Jill shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe she was really careful."

Sabrina snorted her disgust. "Yeah, really careful." She grabbed up her empty plate and stalked to the kitchen sink to dump it noisily inside. "Ugh, this is one of the reasons why I stopped going to church. You know what? I hope they make that fucking memorial. I hope they make it so I can go burn it down."

"Sabrina…" Jill scolded gently.

"What?" Sabrina shot back, taking her seat again. "I'm serious. Maybe… maybe it would be good for Kelly to go talk about what happened. Maybe it'll …I don't know, give her some closure or something."

Jill made a face. "Or screw her up for the next month. You really want her to do that? From what that letter said, it sounds like there's other people ready to do it for her. Why should she have to relive all of that happened to her there. The past is in the past, I don't see any reason why-"

Both girls turned as Jill's argument was cut off by the jangling of Kelly's telephone in the next room.

The two women stared dumbly at each before Jill decided she'd let Sabrina win this silent battle.

"No, no, you've done enough around here." She told her in a playfully sarcastic tone. "Don't get up. I'll get it."

Sabrina grinned and tipped her coffee mug at her.

The phone was on its fourth ring by the time Jill scurried over and scooped it up. "Kelly Garrett's house." She answered pleasantly. She had a feeling she knew who it was that was calling, but the warm male voice on the other end of the line was still a pleasant surprise.

"Jill? Is that you?" John Bosley's voice asked. She could hear laughter and the clinking of silverware on dishes in the background. He was calling from a restaurant it seemed.

"The one and only." Jill purred back.

"Well, hi, honey. I guess that explains why I didn't get an answer at your place." Bosley chuckled. "Let me guess: Sabrina is there too?"

"Sabrina is here too." Jill sang.

She could almost see the smirk on her co-worker's face. "Hmm. Not another night of revelry for you girls, right?"

Jill feigned shock. "Bosley!" She gasped. "How could you even _think_ that?"

"I have my reasons." He replied drolly.

Jill giggled and perched herself on the arm of Kelly's couch. "Well, it's been forever since we've heard from you. Don't tell me you've got an assignment for us."

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Ooh." Jill purred. "Does it seem exciting?"

She could hear Bosely's soft laugh on the other line. "Er, no. Not exactly. But a case is a case, isn't it?"

Jill's face fell. "I guess it is." She sighed dramatically. "When do you need us and where?"

"That's more like it." Bosely chuckled. His voice was suddenly brighter. "You of all people might actually like this, Jill."

Jill was intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"Our new client prefers to meet us socially he said." Bosley explained. "He wants to buy us lunch at this Chinese place downtown. I was in the neighborhood so I popped in to reserve a table." His voice hushed. "He's kind of an odd character, but between you and me, this guy must be _loaded_. This place isn't even listed in the phone book, it's so fancy."

"Ooh," Jill replied excitedly. "But how is their won ton?"

"Like I would know." Bosley grumped. "This place is far beyond the likes of me." He cleared his throat and his voice went back to its normal cheerful self. "Anyway, the place is on 7th and Maple. It's called the Hidden Dragon. Take one car, parking is a beast. We'll meet you here at 1:30. If you beat us, the reservation is under John."

Jill grabbed up a pen and dutifully scribbled down all the information he'd just given her on the back of one of Kelly's utility bills. "Gotcha. Thanks, Bos. See you then."

"Uh-huh. Bye, Jill."

She hung up the phone and though she'd just eaten breakfast, felt a sudden craving for Chinese.

It was good to be positive, she reasoned to herself. Their client may be strange, Kelly may be hungover and Sabrina may be mad at her all day, but at least she had a free lunch to look forward to.


	4. The Hidden Dragon

It was almost 1:15 when Jill stepped hesitantly into what was easily the nicest Chinese restaurant she or any of her friends had ever been in. The place was beautiful, with a pristine marble floor that they could almost see their reflection in and deep red walls. A water feature to the side bubbled cheerfully as they entered with a jade dragon perched menacingly on its top. Along the walls were Chinese tapestries boasting hand drawn illustrations and intricate text that stood out in the dim mood lighting.

The girls passed the hallway and the place opened up into something a bit more familiar-if much more fancy- to them. Waiters in white coats bustled back and forth, some laden with platters of the most appetizing food Jill had ever seen as they skittered between the grand looking cloth-covered tables. There was a man in a tuxedo standing in front of a large wooden podium and Jill figured that he was the one who decided if they got a table or not.

Since Sabrina was still dumbfounded by the gaudiness of the place and the smell of food had Kelly looking green, Jill volunteered herself. She sauntered up to the counter and flashed the man one of her best hundred watt smiles.

"Hello!" She greeted him brightly. "We're here for our table."

"You guys sure are hard to find." Sabrina piped up from behind her. "How do you get business if your number is unlisted, huh?"

The man stared at her for a moment before deciding she didn't exist and returning Jill's smile. "Do you have a reservation?" He asked politely.

"We sure do. Table for five. For John." Jill replied as sweetly as she could.

The host smiled again and then began skimming through a list of names on the ledger resting in front of him.

Sabrina edged her way forward. "What would happen if we _didn't_ have a reservation?" She asked him playfully. She jerked her thumb toward the jade dragon on top of the waterfall. "Does he like…come to life and eat us or something?"

She began snickering at her own joke but the host didn't seem amused one bit. Clearly, Sabrina thought this place was overly gaudy and wasn't embarrassed to make her opinion known so, as it usually did, it fell on Jill to be embarrassed for her. She felt her face get hot. With all the brains Sabrina possessed, sometimes she said the stupidest..

"So, do you screen that list or-Ow!"

Apparently, Kelly was functioning well enough to be embarrassed at Sabrina's momentary lack of social graces as well. She'd kicked her or pinched her or something, Jill figured and didn't care what. Whatever it was, it shut her up and thank God for that.

Luckily, the host had been doing an excellent job of ignoring her. "Ah, here you are. John, table for five." He announced, still smiling widely. He caught the attention of a waiter who was standing nearby and snapped something to him in rapid fire Chinese. The young man grabbed up some menus and silverware. "This young man will show you to your table now. Your friend is waiting for you at the bar. Thank you for dining at The Hidden Dragon. Enjoy your meal."

Jill furrowed her brow as the girls herded together to follow their waiter. Bosley was already here? She craned her neck to look for him, but his familiar face eluded her. Their waiter showed them to a nice table in a secluded corner of the restaurant and the girls took a seat. Once their drink orders were taken, the young man scurried off, stopping only to exchange some brief words in Chinese to another waiter standing nearby.

Sabrina was marveling at them. "I need to learn to speak Chinese. I wonder what they're saying."

Kelly made a noise in the back of her throat. "Probably 'let's all spit in that big-mouthed woman's food because she's behind so damn rude.'"

"I'm not being-"

"Yes, you are." Kelly cut her off. A nap, a shower, and a few extra minutes on her hair and makeup had Kelly looking a bit more put together, but she was still cranky and nauseous. The overpowering smell of food probably wasn't helping matters much either.

Sabrina huffed, but silently conceded defeat. She popped up her menu, scanned it for a few seconds, and then slapped it back down. Her face looked white. "Wow, I'm sure glad he's paying."

Both Kelly and Jill quickly opened their menus to see what she was talking about and had to agree.

"Where is he anyway?" Kelly muttered. "Didn't the guy up front say Bosley was-"

"Good afternoon, ladies. You must be with Mr. Townsend."

Jill turned her attention away from Kelly and found herself staring into the clear green eyes of a _very_ attractive stranger.

"I'm Gregory Samson." The stranger greeted them. "Pleasure to meet you."

Jill was the first to stand and give him her hand. "The pleasure is all ours, Mr. Samson."

And it was. Hers, at least. Gregory Samson was a tall man, with a lean, athletic build, accentuated nicely by the expensive, fitted suit he was wearing. He was probably in his mid-forties at least, but, besides a little graying at his temple , his hair was a dark brown and his green eyes had a youthful sparkle to them that she was instantly drawn to.

This case might not be so boring after all.

"I'm Jill Munroe." She greeted him sweetly as he shook her hand.

Sabrina was up now and pressing in behind her. "Hi, I'm Sabrina Duncan." She said quickly, shaking his hand. "Sorry we were just sitting around. We didn't know you and Bosley were already here."

Gregory Samson smiled at them. He had the faintest of crow's feet at the corners of his eyes but the look did nothing to age him. "No, it's perfectly alright." He said and Jill decided she liked his voice too. Low like Charlie's but with a melodious quality that she could listen to all day.

"Actually, Mr. Bosley isn't with me." He explained, still smiling. "I'm afraid I'm a bit of a loose cannon, you see." Sabrina had pushed her chair into the aisle when she got, unintentionally blocking Kelly's path as well as her attempt to introduce herself to their new client. She'd just now managed to get through two waiters to go around the table. Gregory Samson reached for Kelly's hand as she finally approached but- Jill was pleased to notice- kept his eyes fixed on her as he went on. "I have some trouble waiting around so I decided I'd beat him here and have a look at the place. I trust he got my message?"

Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "I…well, I don't know, we haven't talked since this morning." She brightened and gestured to a seat. "But, I'm sure he did. He'll be along soon, why don't we sit down?"

Gregory was still absently shaking Kelly's hand and finally seemed to notice it. "Yes, let's." He said, releasing her. "What did you say your name was, sweetheart?"

The "sweetheart" probably irked her, but luckily Kelly wasn't too sick to keep it from showing on her face. "I didn't. These two don't ever let me get a word in." She forced a polite smile. "I'm Kelly Garrett. Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise." Gregory smiled and his eyes drifted back to Jill, who, in the confusion, managed to trade seats with Kelly so that she was now sitting next to him. Dumb yes, but why not have a little fun on the clock? He wasn't wearing a ring after all.

Everyone took their seats and Jill fully expected a few awkward moments of silence. However, Mr. Gregory Samson was absolutely correct in saying that he didn't care for sitting still.

"I don't like to beat around the bush, ladies." He started, his voice still pleasant and warm. "I have a problem and it's not the kind of problem that I want the police to be involved in."

Jill looked around at her two friends. That was one way to start a meeting.

"Uh, so what kind-" Sabrina started hesitantly, but Mr. Samson raised a hand to quiet her.

"I apologize. That didn't come out the way I had intended." Gregory went on with a soft chuckle. "But, I am a man of some means. And I have…." He looked thoughtful for moment. "-exploited some laws in my time. Not broken them. But, taken advantage of a broken system, you could say. The authorities wouldn't exactly be bending over backwards to help me. And they might not exactly approve of what it is that I want. This is why I've decided to go another route."

"What is it you want us to do exactly?" Sabrina piped up and Jill didn't miss the slight concern in her voice. "Bosley didn't say much. He preferred to let you explain."

"Wise man." Gregory agreed. A waiter zipped by just then and, quick as a cat, Gregory latched onto his forearm. "I'm sorry to bother you, but can my friends and I get some wine?"

The young man gave a curt nod and hurried off.

Beside her, Jill heard Kelly let out a soft groan. She had a point. It wasn't even 1:30 in the afternoon just yet. But as long as he was paying…

Gregory righted his wine glass and smiled. "You were asking me what I –" He was staring just past Jill as he spoke and as she listened to him, she noticed his gaze travel over her head.

"Oh, Bos is here." Sabrina announced suddenly, ripping Jill's attention away from Gregory Samson's gaze. She turned and saw him at the entrance, looking lost and out of place in the fancy restaurant lobby. The host was speaking to him, gesturing towards where they were sitting. Nonetheless, Sabrina stood and waved her arms above her head to get his attention. "Over here, Bos!"

He spotted her and, looking relieved, headed their direction.

"I see you girls have met Mr. Samson." Bosley greeted them after shaking Gregory's hand and taking his seat. The waiter chose that moment to arrive with a bottle of wine, which he wordlessly poured into every glass on the table before taking his leave. As soon as he'd gone another young man appeared at the table in his place and quickly deposited a large tray laden with appetizers: Tiny eggrolls, chunks of meat on sticks, sauces for dipping, and other things Jill didn't even recognize.

Bosley watched the second waiter go, confused. "I thought I was early. How long exactly have you been here?"

"Just a few minutes." Kelly answered him quietly. She'd pushed her wine glass away and couldn't even seem to bring herself to look at it or the food on the table.

"I took the liberty. Please, help yourselves." Gregory explained as he plucked a skewer of meat from the tray. He ate it quickly and let the toothpick clink against his empty plate. "Now that Mr. Bosley is here, I suppose I should get on with why we're all here."

"Yes, let's." Jill leaned forward, finding herself more and more intrigued with their handsome new client.

"I'm looking for my wife."

Jill's face fell.

"Oh." Sabrina replied after a moment. "She…how long has she been missing?"

Gregory chuckled. "Since our divorce."

"Oh." Jill brightened somewhat. "Why are you looking for her if you're divorced? Change of heart?"

"Not exactly." Gregory replied. "More like a change of address." His eyes found her again, Jill noted, or rather the spot right above her that he'd been staring at since they'd arrived. "It seems a large sum of money has disappeared from my possession."

"How much money are we talking about?" Sabrina wanted to know.

"Almost fifteen thousand dollars."

Bosley let out a soft whistle.

"And what's that got to do with your wife, Mr. Samson?" Kelly asked, speaking up for the first time in a long while.

Gregory laughed suddenly. "You know, this is all getting a bit too formal for me. Call me Greg please."

Kelly stared at him. "And what's that got to do with your wife, Greg?" She repeated herself.

If her slightly impatient tone offended him at all, he didn't let it show. Instead, he smiled at her and tapped a finger to the side of his head. "Well, let's do some thinking." He said. "A large sum of money disappears from my person and the very next day my ex-wife has suddenly changed her address. Clever, isn't she? Very clever. None of her family can tell me where she is." Gregory paused here and threw out his hands in an exaggerated shrug. "No one knows. A big Italian family like hers and no one knows. Can you imagine?"

"Could something have happened to her?" Sabrina asked carefully.

Again, Gregory smiled broadly. "Now see, that's what I thought. Her family- and let's just say none of her family members are going to work for NASA any time soon, if I make myself clear.- none of her family has heard from her. So me, being a decent human being, I try to look for her. I even go so far as to call one of her old boyfriends to see if he's heard from her." He leaned forward, eyes shining brightly, practically buzzing with energy. Jill wondered if he wanted to scream or to cry. "And do you know what I find out?"

Jill looked around the table at her friends wondering if anyone was going to hazard a guess. Nobody did and so she nominated herself.

"What did you find out?" She ventured.

Gregory smiled. "I find that the old boyfriend has up and disappeared as well. What a great coincidence! Can you believe that? Can you believe they did that to me?"

"So, you think they've run off together." Sabrina clarified.

"I _know_ they've run off together." Gregory answered.

"How do you think she managed to steal all of that money from you?" Jill asked, scooting a bit closer to him. He'd said ex-wife, hadn't he?

Gregory heaved a sigh. "There's where I'm afraid I was a bit too trusting. I never did take her off of my accounts. We were married for eleven years, I wanted to make sure she was taken care of. I didn't expect her to throw my generosity in my face the way she did."

Sabrina looked around the table uncomfortably before launching into her next question. "And…and when we find her for you? Then what?"

"Then I get some questions answered." Gregory answered firmly.

Bosley pursed his lips. "And your wife? Will you be wanting to…involve the police once she's found with the money?"

"No, I don't care about her. Not anymore. I just want what she took from me."

"I'll warn you, the money doesn't always come back-" Sabrina said carefully.

Gregory gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "It's not the money I'm concerned about. I make plenty of money."

Sabrina furrowed her brow. "Then what are you talking about? I thought the money was what we were trying to re-"

"She took my _daughter_ from me, ladies." Gregory blurted out. "Years ago, I mean. I don't know who she slept with to make it happen, but she was awarded full custody of my little Michelle when we divorced. And she's kept her from me for all of these years." There was an odd look on his face now as his green eyes bored into Jill and her friends in turn. Maybe she was imagining it, but were his eyes shining with tears?

"She took her from me." Gregory went on, with not a trace of the wild energy he'd been exhibiting earlier. "And now I'd love nothing more than to take her back. Help me find them. With jail time for embezzlement hanging over my ex-wife's head, she won't have any choice in the matter. She can have the money and I get my daughter. Everyone wins." He drained the wine in his glass and poured another as the rest of the table sat in awkward silence.

"It should have been that way from the start, you know." Gregory went on thoughtfully, swirling the liquid in his glass. He was surrounded by four people, but Jill got the feeling that he was talking to himself more than to any of the four of them. "My wife was…well, she was a pretty face and not much else. Michelle would have been much better off with me. I love her, I would have done better by her, protected her. She'd have been better off."

Gregory had gotten a bit too emotional for Kelly's taste. She'd been staring uncomfortably at her hands while he spoke and, now that he stopped talking, she finally looked up.

"How old is your daughter?" Kelly asked quietly.

That intense green-eyed stare fixed itself on her for a moment before Gregory spoke. "She's nine." He answered. He stood abruptly and Jill was confused as to why he was leaving, but he only dipped his hand into his back pocket to fish out a black snake-skin wallet that probably cost more than her car. While the group stared at him, he flipped through it and then gently tugged something out.

"This is her when she was just a baby." Gregory said fondly. He held out a small, black and white photo. It had obviously been handled a great deal since it had been taken, Jill decided. It was cracked and worn and looked much older than its nine years. Whoever this man was, she didn't doubt that he loved his daughter.

Sabrina took the photo first, to Jill's annoyance and then passed it to Bosley, then Kelly, and then finally to Jill. She took it from Kelly and stared at it intently. The photo was of a newborn baby girl, no more than a month old, lying in her crib and swaddled up in a light colored blanket. Beside her was a small stuffed giraffe and in her dark curls was a delicate little bow. Precious, Jill thought sadly and felt a twinge of pain in her heart for Gregory Samson. What good was all that money if he couldn't even raise his own child?

"I haven't seen her since." Gregory told them sadly as he took the picture from Jill and carefully returned it to his wallet. "My wife saw to that. But, I did the right thing. I provided for them. And now might be my only chance to get my child back."

Bosley nodded his head. "Let's hope we can help you. First of all, what's your ex-wife's name?" He asked after a moment. "We need something to start with."

Gregory smiled. "Her name is Eva Rossi, she went back to her maiden name after our divorce. She's forty one years old. She's headed upstate. Her boyfriend is from the San Francisco area. His name is David Taylor. I'm certain that's where they are." He produced a black leather attache case from underneath the table and popped it open. "Here's her picture."

Jill wanted to be first this time. She extended her hand and Gregory flipped another black and white photograph her way. A much younger woman than Jill expected to see smiled back at her. Very pretty, Jill noted, with dark hair and eyes, dressed in what almost looked like a school girl's uniform. She seemed very young…too young…

"Forgive me for not having more recent pictures of my ex-wife and child. They left me in the past in more ways than one." Gregory explained, in response to the confused look on Jill's face. "She's about eighteen in that picture. She took care of herself though, I imagine she hasn't aged a day."

"Oh." Was all Jill could say. She flipped the photo over. On the back was a written note. The top of the photo had been worn away and with it the beginning of the neatly scripted message Ms. Rossi had written Greg all those years ago. There wasn't much left of it but a few trace smudges of blue ink that gradually darkened into the legible section of the note.

 _so that I can always be with you. I love you with all my heart._

 _-Your Eva_

Touching. She passed the photo to Kelly.

"You can keep that." Gregory said as the photo made its circuit around the table. "She was a seamstress when I knew her, maybe she's still in that line of work. I can take care of all your travel, food, and lodging expenses. Just give me the receipts and I'll see that you're compensated."

"Well, thank you." Bosley said, dipping his head graciously. "But, what makes you so certain that your ex-wife and her boyfriend are in San Francisco?"

Gregory gave him a wide smile. "A little bird told me." Was all he said.

Bosley looked doubtfully around the table. "And you would be willing to pay travel and lodging expenses for four people-" He started slowly. "-based on this _little bird_?"

This time Gregory chuckled. "Mr. Bosley, I have it on good authority that Eva and her… _friend_ are in San Francisco. And to answer your question: Yes, I'm confident enough in my source that I'm willing to put up my own money to fly your team out to San Francisco to find them. My little bird gives me a good deal of information about a good deal of people."

Jill took a small sip of her wine. It tasted expensive. Apparently, Gregory spared no expense in anything. Nothing wrong with that if one had the means to do it.

"Your bird sounds like a stool pigeon." She joked to fill the awkward silence.

Jill was pretty pleased with her joke, but unfortunately was robbed of the chance to see if anyone else thought it was as funny as she did. The waiter chose that moment to arrive at the table to take their orders. But, because it was a worthwhile distraction, Jill couldn't be too disappointed. Since they hadn't had much of a chance to look over their menus, she was about to ask what exactly her options were when Gregory beat her to the punch.

"Bring my guests the special, please." He said and the young man nodded and scurried off without so much as a word to anyone else. Still smiling, Gregory turned his attention back to the table. "I hope you don't mind. The special is something everyone needs to try at least once."

"It…it sounds great." Sabrina replied, smiling uncertainly.

There was a commanding air about Mr. Gregory Samson that both intrigued Jill and made her a bit uncomfortable. He was a man who expected things done exactly when he wanted them done, it had only taken a few minutes of knowing him to realize that. He extremely wealthy, maybe that had something to do with it, she decided. Aside from that, he seemed a decent man. Odd and a little arrogant, but decent nonetheless.

"You'll thank me later." He said, pouring himself his third glass of wine. Right now Gregory was staring at her again. Not at her, Jill noticed, but right through her. It was a little off putting, but maybe that was just the way he was. Maybe she should be flattered he kept staring. Finally, his gaze lifted and he took in the rest of the table and smiled, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "And I'll thank you once my wife is found and my daughter returned to me. You'll have my deepest gratitude." His smile widened. "And quite a large bonus. I believe in rewarding those who make me happy. Having my daughter back would make _very_ happy."

Jill looked around the table and caught Bosley's eye to give him a curt nod. He raised an eyebrow slightly and then glanced toward Kelly and Sabrina as well, gauging their reactions. Jill saw nothing out of the ordinary from either of them and waited patiently until Bosley cleared his throat and smiled politely.

"It looks like the girls accept your case." He said. "I hope we can make you happy."

Gregory nodded his head, not at all surprised by the news. Jill shuddered as that intense stare bored into her, or rather, just above her once again. "I hope so too."


	5. Elephant in the Room

"I can't be the only one that thinks the wife had a good reason to leave him, right?"

Jill glanced up at the rear-view mirror to catch a glimpse of Kelly settling herself in the back seat, arms folded across her chest. She'd been doing an increasingly poor job of hiding her irritation with Gregory Samson as their lunch meeting carried on and, now that she was finally able to speak freely, Jill had a feeling that she was about to get an earful on _exactly_ how Kelly felt about their new client and his strange ways. It probably didn't help Greg's case that the "special" he ordered for them had been a seafood dish with a rich sauce complete with fried rice and egg rolls. Delicious, just like he'd promised, but a bit much for Kelly's raw stomach.

They'd ended their lunch meeting a little after 3:00 and had just climbed into Jill's car after parting ways from Gregory Samson and Bosley at the front entrance. The two men were headed to the office to do God knows what, but it involved boring paperwork and Jill usually stayed as far away as she could from boring paperwork.

"Besides fifteen thousand dollars of her ex-husband's money?" Sabrina asked, grinning faintly. "Sounds like a good enough reason to me."

Kelly made a face. "I didn't say she had a right to _steal_ from him." She clarified. "I said I can understand why she _left_ him. I wouldn't want to bring up my kid with a guy like that either."

Sabrina nodded her head in agreement. "He's not exactly Ward Cleaver, is he?"

"Just give the guy a chance." Jill sighed as she started her car. "You've only met him for a couple hours."

"That was plenty," Kelly grumbled moodily.

"Aw, come on. I don't think he's _that_ bad."

Sabrina barked a sarcastic laugh. "Of course, _you_ don't. You're in love with the guy."

 _What?!_

Jill bristled. "I am _not_!"

"Please, you were making goo-goo eyes at him the whole time. You're dating life can't be _that_ slow." Kelly scolded her. "What's wrong with you, Jill? You're working. Plus, the guy is old enough to be your dad."

"He is _not_." Jill defended herself. "He can't be much older than forty."

"Which makes him almost twenty years older than you, so technically yes, he's old enough to be your father." Sabrina pointed out, because of course she would.

Jill whirled on her. "Oh, _you're_ one to talk! How old was the last guy you dated again?"

Instead of taking the bait, Sabrina only looked up to catch Kelly's gaze in the mirror. "Look, Kelly. She's deflecting." She called out sweetly.

Kelly grinned. "So she is."

"I'm _not_ deflecting. You're the one that-"

"And it doesn't _matter_ how old he was." Sabrina went on, over her. "I wasn't working under him."

A mischievous smile lit up Kelly's face. Never too hungover to miss an opportunity. "Oh? Is that why you-"

"Shut up, Kelly." Sabrina cut her off and then turned back to Jill. "Anyway, like I was saying, I was not-" She fixed a weary gaze on Kelly in the backseat, still giggling behind her hand. "- _employed_ by him. As of forty-five minutes ago, Jill, you work for Gregory Samson."

"Well, that works out just fine, because I'm not _dating_ Gregory Samson." Jill shot back. She pulled their car onto the road and into the busy mid-afternoon traffic. "You have to admit though, he's hot."

Kelly was done giggling to herself. At Jill's comment, she let out a derisive scoff. "Yeah, aren't they always? I bet one day his wife got sick of putting up with him and split with the kid before she got old enough to realize what a creep her dad was." She shook her head and Jill sensed that they were going to hear a little more about her distaste for Mr. Samson. "And did you see how much he _drank_?" Kelly continued, disgusted. "Who drinks that much at lunchtime? And around people they've just met!"

"People who don't need to drive themselves home." Jill offered, feeling a little defensive for reasons she wasn't sure of.

Sabrina was less defensive. "Alcoholics?"

Kelly ignored them both. "And who the hell orders lunch for people they've never met? And the way he treated all of the waiters… did you see that? Like he _owned_ them or something." She went on, throwing up her hands. Her point made, she slumped back into her seat and let her head thump against the headrest. "I don't even _like_ oysters." She mumbled.

"Yeah, I'm with Kelly on this one," Sabrina said after a moment. "About Greg, I mean, not the oysters. I like oysters. Anyway, sorry, Jill. Your boyfriend is an asshole."

Jill glared at her. "He's _not_ my boyfriend. And... okay, maybe he _is_ an asshole." She thought for a moment. "But, he's a _good-looking_ asshole!"

"He isn't _that_ good looking." Kelly grumped. She must have seen the look Jill gave her in the rear-view mirror because she rolled her eyes. "I guess he's just not my type."

Ugh, she was just being difficult. "Maybe he's not your type then." Jill replied easily. "Doesn't mean he isn't hot. Right, Bri?"

Sabrina smiled her amusement. "Hey, don't pull me back into this."

So much for allies.

"Well, it doesn't matter. That's how they get away with it, you know. Looking nice." Kelly grumbled from the back. "I had a couple of boyfriends just like that when I was younger. And they weren't even _that_ good looking. But, I was a stupid kid and I didn't know any better. You do, Jill." She said, her tone suddenly serious. "You better keep things professional, I don't care how hot you think he is."

Jill could hardly believe what she was hearing. All she'd done was _look_!

"Professional? You're gonna preach at me about being _professional_?! Who's the one who showed up _hungover_ to a meeting with a new client?!" She shot back defensively. "And just why the hell are the two of you jumping down my throat, anyway?! I just said he was hot! It's not like I gave him a handy under the table, Jesus Christ!"

Sabrina burst out laughing. "Well, I doubt he'd have stopped you if you tried. Did you notice the way he was staring at you?"

Picking on her or not, Sabrina had a point. He had been staring. A lot. "That was… different." Jill had to grudgingly admit.

Kelly was quiet for a moment before shaking her head. "It was _creepy_." She said finally. "That's what it was."

"It was a little creepy." Sabrina agreed.

"Just… don't get mixed up with that guy. Not any more than you have to be." Kelly sighed. "I've seen it before. And his wife probably wised up and got her and her kid out of there. Yeah, it's a pretty package on the outside, but on the inside, it's just… _ugh_ , keep your distance. He's not the guy for you."

Jill could have screamed. "I _know_ that!" She snapped with an incredulous laugh. "All I said was that the guy was hot! And…and he _is_! Can the two of you climb off my back, please?"

Kelly and Sabrina grumbled something that might have been a truce and then the car fell quiet.

As usual, Jill's irritation with her two friends dissipated quickly. Sitting in silence was fast getting boring. A few moments later, she looked up and briefly caught Kelly's eye in the rear-view mirror. "Sorry, I said you were hungover." She said softly, by way of apology.

Kelly snorted. "Well, I _am_ hungover." She said bluntly. "But, I was _still_ more professional than you were."

Jill groaned. Maybe after another nap and some more Excedrin, Kelly would be in a better mood. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry, _Mom_. I'll keep it in my pants next time."

"Glad to hear it. You're back in the will." Kelly replied without missing a beat.

Jill rolled her eyes gamely. "Well, _that's_ a relief."

The girls lapsed into a short silence yet again before Sabrina got restless and turned in her seat. "So, San Francisco tomorrow, huh."

Jill was more than grateful for the change in topic. "Looks like it. Charlie will probably call us at the office when we meet up later."

"I haven't been to San Francisco since I was in high school." Sabrina mused. "You lived there, Kell. You remember your way around?"

Kelly scoffed. "Yeah, I lived there. Good times." She said in a tone that clearly indicated that they were anything but. "But, I was nine and I didn't get out much."

Sabrina got the picture. "Oh." Was all she said. She looked up and shot Jill a guilty look.

 _Oops._

To change the subject, Sabrina cleared her throat and began flipping through the notes she'd taken during their meeting with Gregory Samson. Over the seafood special and a fourth glass of white wine, Gregory had given them a list of places where they might start their search as well as some more information on Eva Rossi and David Taylor. Sabrina read some names and places aloud, and frowned. "None of these places sound too fun, do they?" She asked absently.

Kelly made a noise in the back of her throat. "No, they don't." She opened her eyes and sat up suddenly. "Hey, wouldn't it be easier to find them through the kid? All we'd have to find is a kid who just checked into a school in the past few weeks. How many new kids could there possibly be?"

"I was thinking that too." Sabrina agreed, still flipping through notes. "Even if they're using a different name, they'd still have to put the kid in school. How old did he say she was again?"

"Nine." Jill answered.

"Nine. That would put her in the third or fourth grade then." She paused for a moment and frowned. "But, how many elementary schools are there in San Francisco?"

Kelly suddenly looked defeated. "I don't know. A lot. Maybe that's why he didn't bother mentioning it." She gave a tired smile and looked up into the rear-view mirror. "We should ask your sister, she'd probably know."

That made sense. Kris had been studying to be a teacher and she probably had her eyes on a few of the schools in the district before some fit of lunacy compelled her to join the San Francisco Police Department instead. Surely, she'd know.

But, that didn't mean they were going to ask her.

"We aren't asking my sister _anything_." Jill huffed. "She isn't a cop yet. And I don't want to get her involved in this and get her in trouble."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "You're still mad at her."

"I'm still mad at her."

"It might work, it would just take a long time." Sabrina sighed. "Somehow, I don't think the school district would give us a little girl's information just because we called." She turned to Kelly. "And even split three ways, that's an awful lot of schools to cover. But, who knows? We might get lucky."

Kelly shut her eyes again. "Just an idea."

"I'll call Kris tonight anyway." Jill said, stifling a yawn. "But, not about the case. Just… just to ask about the schools. And...to see what she's doing. And maybe if she wants to have dinner with us one night. Maybe." She'd enjoyed her free lunch and one glass of white wine and now it was catching up with her. "Gosh, I'm so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open. Can I hang out at your place, Kell?" She asked, glancing up at her rear-view mirror to see her friend in the backseat. "I don't feel like driving all the way to the beach. We're just gonna have to come back to the office this evening anyway."

"Sure." Kelly answered slowly, not bothering to open her eyes.

"My place is closer." Sabrina chimed in. "And then I'd have my car. You guys want to hang out there instead?"

Kelly was falling asleep. "Sure." She murmured again.

"Your place it is," Jill said, drifting into the right lane. "Your TV is bigger anyway."

"Yeah, well it's always been my best feature," Sabrina said absently. She was still going over the notes from their meeting. "So, I guess I'm the one who's gonna say it, then?"

Interest piqued, Jill sent her a sideways glance. "Say what?"

"This: Anyone else get the feeling that this guy is gonna have his wife and her boyfriend whacked when we find them?"

" _Whacked_?" Jill started to laugh. "Oh, wow, Bri."

"What?!" Sabrina cried defensively. "It's a reasonable question, right, Kelly?"

Kelly kept her eyes closed. "Is the question about you using the word ' _whacked_ ' in a normal conversation?"

Sabrina muttered something under her breath. "Ugh. You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. And, no way." Jill laughed. "If Charlie thought that, he wouldn't even have had him meet us. You don't really think that do you?"

Sabrina shrugged. "I'm not sure what to think just yet. He seemed pretty bitter."

"Well, she did steal from him. And she has his kid."

Sabrina was silent for a moment as she mulled that over. "Yeah, I guess. There's just something about this guy that rubs me the wrong way." Again, she fell into a contemplative silence. "I'm not completely sold on the idea that this guy wants to find his wife just so he can give his kid a better life." She said finally.

Kelly gave a bitter chuckle. "Amen." She agreed sleepily.

Jill frowned. It looked like she was the only one completely on Greg Samson's side.

And even then…

She tried to shrug away the indecision she felt. "He... he may have been a bad husband, that doesn't necessarily make him a bad father."

Sabrina sighed and let the folder slap onto her lap. "Well, I hope you're right."

Jill felt a weird sensation in her stomach. She hoped so too.

* * *

 _ **Monday, November 8th**_

The meeting with Charlie ended up being so brief that he decided a simple conference phone call would be a better use of everyone's time than meeting at the office would be. He didn't have much more information for them that Gregory hadn't already given them and so after making travel plans, hashing through some last minute details and Sabrina offering Kelly's idea of tracking down Michelle Samson, their phone call was over and the girls had the rest of the evening to themselves.

It would just be the three of them in San Francisco, Charlie decided. Bosley was sitting this one out to go over only God knew what with Charlie and Greg in the office. It probably involved more paperwork and that was just fine with Jill because she'd take an out of town assignment over sitting home doing paperwork any day of the week.

Because Sabrina lived closest to the airport, it was mutually decided that after heading home to pack for their trip, Jill and Kelly would just return to her apartment to avoid the hassle of making the trip the next morning. A suitable movie was found on TV and, still a little tired from the previous late night, the girls settled in for one last bit of peace and quiet before starting a new case.

Kelly, after finally holding down a sandwich and some ginger ale, promptly fell asleep on the couch and because they didn't have the heart to wake her, Jill and Sabrina left her there as they whiled away the rest of the evening watching TV and playing cards.

It was such a lazy and relaxing evening that Jill slept in till nearly nine the next morning. Not that it mattered. They weren't leaving for the airport until noon and it felt nice to not be rushing around for once. She took her time getting ready and after a long, hot shower, felt refreshed and ready to go.

It was almost ten when Sabrina kicked her out of the room so she could get ready, leaving Jill to wander the rest of the apartment. Hungry now, she made her way into the living room, hoping Kelly was awake so that she could enlist her help in finding something that could pass for breakfast in Sabrina's kitchen. She padded into the living room and was pleased to see that her friend was up and perched crossed legged on the couch. The TV was on and though the volume was set very low, Kelly was so engrossed in it that she didn't even turn as Jill approached.

"Hey, you're alive." Jill greeted her cheerfully. "Sorry, for not waking you up last night. You looked pretty comfortable and we figured you needed to sleep it off. You feeling better today?"

Kelly didn't respond.

A little miffed, Jill stepped around the couch to sit next to her. "Whatcha watching?" She asked, glancing at the TV. The news was on, nothing that Kelly was usually this enraptured by. When Kelly didn't answer a second time, Jill turned, fully intending to give her a hard shove to the shoulder and snap her out of whatever alcohol induced trance she was clearly still in.

The look on Kelly's face stopped her cold.

Alarmed, Jill laid a hand on her arm. "Hey, wh-"

She jerked away in surprise when her light touch sent Kelly nearly skittering off the couch.

"Whoa, what's wrong with you?!" Jill demanded, forcing the panic out of her voice. Kelly was more than just a little startled. Her face had gone white and she looked a lot closer to vomiting than she had yesterday morning. "Don't tell me you're still sick? Did you-"

"No!" Kelly cut her off and then turned quickly back to the TV. "I…No, I'm fine. Just…shh."

Her attention glued itself back to the news and, with no other way to get any answers, Jill forced herself to calm down and settled up against the couch cushions to watch. There was footage of policemen swarming around a dumpster, ducking under yellow crime scene tape and shaking their heads grimly. A headline flashed at the bottom of the screen and caught her attention: Police Identify Bodies Found in Glendale.

She made a face. That was a little heavy for ten in the morning. She looked at Kelly and saw that she was still fixated on the screen. "What's going on?" Jill asked her suspiciously.

"Uh, I... I know them." Kelly replied, without taking her eyes off of the TV.

Jill raised a brow. "You do?" She asked in disbelief.

She turned back to the television with renewed interest just in time for the crime scene footage to change. A smiling photo of a middle-aged man flashed across the screen followed by one of a woman about the same age. They looked like nice, clean-cut people, people you'd see at church or at a bake sale. The news reporter's voice identified the couple as Warren Patrick and his wife, Carol Patrick.

She didn't recognize them. But, Kelly…

Jill turned to her friend, completely baffled. "Where do you know them from?"

"I lived with his family," Kelly explained. "You know, when I was in the system."

Jill didn't know what to make about that. "I'm…I'm so sorry, Kell." She paused, realizing suddenly that Kelly didn't exactly look like she was grieving. "Wait, were they… was this more _good times_?"

"He was awful to me." Kelly blurted out. Her voice had taken on an odd tone and Jill wasn't sure what to make of that either. "Used to hit me for every stupid little thing and make me sleep on the floor when I made him mad. We weren't allowed to play with his kids or touch their things. He was just…" She shuddered and then got up to change the channel. A much more calming animal documentary replaced the macabre news report. Kelly sat back down, still looking out of sorts. "She was mean too, but she never hit me. I guess that's all the credit I can give her."

Jill thought for a moment, not quite sure how to respond. She knew Kelly well and she was now certain that there wasn't a trace of regret or grief on her face. And if these awful people dying didn't bother Kelly, then it shouldn't bother her either. "Well... when the karma wagon comes knocking…" She said with a shrug.

Despite the somber news story they'd just seen, a faint grin tugged at the corner of Kelly's mouth. "The _karma wagon_?" She echoed in amusement. "What?"

Jill smiled back. "Yeah, you know how they say? Karma is a bitch, right?"

The lighthearted moment was gone just as suddenly as it had arrived. Kelly quickly averted her eyes and her face sobered.

"They…I mean, I didn't want them to-" She heaved a flustered sigh and then flopped back into the couch cushion. "I…I _used_ to wish they were dead. You know, when I was a kid, I really did. When I lived with them. I would sit and daydream about it in school and hope that they'd get into a car accident or…or get food poisoning or get mugged or fall through an open manhole and…just _something_ and die so I could get the hell out of there." She sat up and stared hard at Jill. "That's… screwed up, isn't it?"

Jill hesitated a bit. Was it, really? She had mixed feelings. "I don't know, but what I _do_ think is screwed up is beating up on your foster kid and making her sleep on the floor." She said finally. "You shouldn't feel guilty about what happened to them."

Kelly turned away. "I _don't_ feel guilty. It's just…it's weird. Sorry, it just... I wasn't expecting it. It spooked me is all."

"I bet," Jill replied after a beat. She watched the elephants in the nature program amble about doing elephant things for a moment before she spoke again. "So... it looked like a hit or something. Were they involved in anything shady when you lived there?"

Kelly didn't turn away from the elephants. "I don't know. Maybe. He always had friends over and they hung out in the basement. That was the only time we weren't allowed down there."

"Maybe he was a drug dealer." Jill offered. "You never know with people."

"Maybe." Said Kelly, nonchalantly. "Or maybe they were playing poker. I don't know, I was seven. Those kinds of things might have gone over my head."

Jill looked at her friend doubtfully. Kelly was no innocent when she was a child. For some reason she was sure that, even at seven, a kid like Kelly probably wouldn't have been oblivious to something like that going on under the roof where she lived. She just didn't want to talk about it and that was her way of ending the conversation.

And not because she was sad to see that the Patricks had met a violent end either. At best, she was relieved at seeing that they were dead. She was relieved and vindicated, maybe even glad, and that fact was bothering her enough that it showed on her face. "I was just saying," Jill said, forcing an easy laugh. "Anyway, seems like it's a bad week to be anyone who was mean to you when you were a kid."

Kelly shot her a look.

"What?" Jill said innocently. "First that old hag Beamish gets herself eaten by a coyote or something, and now _these_ people. Seems like they got what they deserved. Maybe your wishes are coming true."

"Don't say that," Kelly said quietly, after a moment. She turned back towards the elephants, now eating leaves from a tree. "Besides, they're a few years too late to do me any good."

So they were.

The unexpected mention of Kelly's past gave Jill the sudden urge to bring up the letter again and see what her friend planned to do about it. She started to ask but stopped herself.

Why do that to her? Two blasts from the past and an out of town case was enough on her plate at the moment. It was probably best not to stress Kelly out any more than she already was. Jill decided not to say anything more about it and the two women watched the elephants quietly and listened to the soothing British voice-over of whoever was narrating the program until Sabrina emerged, ready to go, from her room and Kelly excused herself to get a shower.

"So, what have you two been up to?" Sabrina asked cheerfully, plopping down on the couch next to Jill. She watched the television for a few moments before laughing. "Don't tell me you've been sitting here watching elephants for the past half hour."

Jill mentally shrugged off her unpleasant conversation with Kelly and smirked. "What do you have against elephants?" She asked airily. "They're nature's gentle giants."

Sabrina grinned. "Hey, I didn't say I had anything against elephants. I like elephants." She made herself comfortable against the arm of the couch and sighed. "Elephants, huh? Boy, this case came along right in time. Another few days off and the excitement might have been too much for us."

"Mmmhmm." Jill hummed back. Half-heartedly, she tuned back into the elephants. She thought for a moment, in the peaceful silence that followed, about telling Sabrina what she and Kelly had just seen on the news, but decided against it. Kelly wasn't going to dwell on it, why should she? Besides, what with Kelly's letter and their upcoming trip to San Francisco, they had enough on their plate as it was.

They'd just deal with it when they got back.


	6. Shotgun

_Thanks for sticking with me so far. The thick is plottening, I promise._

 _-glambo_

* * *

The flight out to San Francisco was delightfully quiet.

For once Jill found herself on a flight that had more empty seats than full ones. As an added bonus, none of those full seats contained any children and, even though it only took a little over an hour to get there, Jill decided she would take advantage of that quiet hour and relax. Thanksgiving was just a couple of weeks away and then taking a flight just about anywhere would be a nightmare.

She was about to turn to Sabrina to ask her if she'd finalized her Thanksgiving plans when she noticed with surprise that she was asleep.

"Are you kidding me?" Jill laughed to herself.

Kelly was sitting on Sabrina's opposite side. "What?" She asked, leaning forward.

"We've been in the air for fifteen minutes and she's already out?" Jill explained in awe. She leaned over her curiously. "Is there, like, a button or a switch she flips or something?" She mused, studying Sabrina's sleeping form as if actually searching for it. "I wish I knew where it was."

"You _do_. It's in the liquor cabinet." Kelly deadpanned and turned her attention once more to the back of the seat in front of her.

Jill, still smiling at her joke, fell quiet for a moment. There was no need to ask about Kelly's Thanksgiving plans. She, Sabrina, and Bosley were the only family that Kelly had and though Sabrina sometimes left town with her father, Jill hadn't spent a Thanksgiving or Christmas without Kelly at her table since they met at the academy.

Travel plans were out, but with Sabrina asleep, there was something else she could bring up...

"So…" Jill started, doing her best to sound casual. It didn't work. She could practically see Kelly's defenses flying up so fast that she wasn't sure if she should feel insulted or not.

"I haven't decided yet," Kelly said quickly.

Jill made a face. "You don't even know what I was gonna say."

"Yes, I do," Kelly replied, turning back towards the chair. "You've been wanting to ask me since yesterday. You just didn't because Bri wouldn't let you."

Jill heaved a big sigh. "Okay, okay. I _have_ been wanting to ask." She glanced guiltily at Sabrina. "But, I didn't! Not even once." She flashed Kelly her biggest, toothiest grin. " And don't I get some brownie points for that?"

When Kelly didn't say anything, Jill stretched out and gave her a teasing nudge with her foot. "Did I mention that I really wanted to? And, showing the _greatest_ of restraint, I still didn't? Not even once?"

It worked. This time, Kelly cracked a smile. "I know. Thanks."

Feeling validated by Kelly's faint smile, she leaned towards her, all business now. "So, what are you leaning towards?"

She had half-expected her secretive friend to stay tight-lipped about the entire situation, so it was a surprise when Kelly didn't immediately shut her down. "I don't know," Kelly said quietly. "Maybe… maybe I'll call her and tell her that I get it, but I can't make it out there."

Jill grinned. That was what she had been hoping to hear. "Tell her you have a basketball game to coach."

Kelly laughed, loud enough that Sabrina stirred and both girls fell silent as they watched her. When she merely shifted in her seat and mumbled something incoherent, Kelly and Jill giggled and resumed their conversation.

"Yeah, I'll tell her I have a game to coach." Kelly joked. "I'm _way_ too busy to fly to Dallas. How could I disappoint my many, many fans?"

"It's a lot to ask of you," Jill said, now serious. "It's _too much_ to ask of you…if you ask me. She should understand that. She already knows a lot about what happened, she doesn't need you there."

Kelly sighed and was quiet for a few moments. "Yeah-" she said finally. "-yeah, I think I'll call her when we get back in town. And she'll just…" She floundered for a moment before giving a dismissive flip of her hand. "She'll just have to understand."

"She will," Jill reassured her. She turned and, sensing that Kelly wanted to stare off into space some more, glanced at the clouds floating by her window and listened to Sabrina snore. A slight shove to her knee snapped her out of her reverie and she turned her head to see Kelly leaning over Sabrina towards her, an odd smile fixed on her face.

"Thanks, Coach." Was all she said.

Jill smiled. "Anytime."

* * *

The November air was unusually chilly when Jill stepped out of the San Francisco International airport and onto the short set of steps that led down to the sidewalk. Their plane may have been nearly empty, but Jill was surprised at how many people had been in the airport. Jill and her companions had exited amongst a stream of people, feeling oddly calm as a different crowd rushed along in the opposite direction, luggage clattering behind them as they hurried to catch their flights. It made Jill feel a bit like a salmon.

As had been arranged, a dark sedan was parked along the curb in the waiting area, lights flashing. Leaning against it was a man in a brown leather jacket and jeans, casually smoking a cigarette. Charlie must have given the driver a picture of who he was picking up because when Jill caught his eye, he glanced at something in his hands, then stuffed it into his pocket and waved at her, a welcoming smile on his face.

"That must be our guy," Sabrina announced, edging in behind her. The short nap on the plane must have completely re-energized her. She had been bouncing about everywhere inside the terminal and at the baggage claim, chattering to not only Jill and Kelly but to seemingly everyone that passed them by. She could be excited about their case, Jill guessed but doubted that was it. Sabrina just seemed to thrive on the things that made normal people want to tear out their hair.

Jill glanced at her to make sure that the man who was waving was the same man Sabrina was pointing to and wasn't disappointed. He was waving them over now for sure.

"Oh, he's cute," Kelly added in a low voice and then giggled. She hadn't napped on the plane, but she was in a good mood. It appeared their talk on the plane had lifted her spirits.

Or at least Jill liked to think so.

"Oh, so you're warm-blooded after all?" Jill purred back. "I was starting to wonder."

Kelly's grin widened. "Not for me. But, that seems more of a match for you than that sleazy Greg Samson, don't you think?"

Jill stopped in her tracks. Was this shit starting back up _again_?

Sabrina whistled. "And what a _nice_ car. I bet the back seat is huge."

"Hmm. And leather seats for easy cleanup." Kelly added.

So it was.

Her traitorous friends snickered as Jill shot them a withering glare. He _was_ cute, she had to admit to herself. Nice build, and tall, she liked tall. Close to thirty maybe, young but rugged looking with dark eyes, shaggy blond hair and a clean-shaven face. Definitely her type.

She just couldn't give her friends the satisfaction of knowing that.

"He smokes," She whispered back. "Gross."

She ignored Kelly and Sabrina's laughing and plastered a smile on her face as she lengthened her stride to beat them to the car.

"Good afternoon, miss." The driver said, greeting her with a charming smile. "I'm Jay, I'll be your driver today."

Ugh, even his _voice_ was sexy. Maybe she was in more of a dating slump than she thought.

"Hello, Jay." Jill sang at him, offering him her hand. "I'm Jill." She flipped her hand towards Kelly and Sabrina, lagging a few feet behind her. "And these two aren't important. You can leave them here."

Jay looked confused. "Uh-"

"Hi, Jay." Kelly greeted him. "I'm Kelly and this is Sabrina. You shouldn't listen to Jill, she just wants to ride up front."

"She says it makes for a good ride." Sabrina added, and both she and Kelly had to bite back a laugh.

"Oh?" Jay replied. His eyes flicked toward Jill nervously and then back to Kelly and Sabrina. "I never mind a little company. That's okay with me."

Jill felt her face grow warm but chose not to acknowledge it. " _Is it_?" She cooed happily. "That's _so_ nice of you, I guess the two of them want to be alone back there. Who am I to judge? They never leave any elbow room for me anyway."

"Well, there's plenty of elbow room up front." Jay was grinning like he was the luckiest man in the world. "Let me get your things."

"Aren't you sweet?" Jill purred. She scooted backward and threw a sharp elbow behind her. It hit someone, she wasn't sure who and she didn't care. Both Kelly and Sabrina erupted into giggles as Jay collected their things and stacked them in the trunk of the car.

It probably would have been a much shorter drive to their hotel, but an accident on the street sent them on a detour and stalled traffic enough to lengthen the journey to about forty-five minutes. Not that Jill minded. That gave her plenty of time to get acquainted with Jay. He proved to be a nice guy and even though he smoked (he was trying to quit though) and he lived in San Francisco, when Jill exited his car she left him with a peck on the cheek and her phone number written in lipstick on the back of a pamphlet she found in his glove compartment.

Ignoring Kelly and Sabrina's continued snickering, Jill headed up the long walkway with them and into the nicely decorated lobby of the hotel Gregory Samson had booked for them. Maybe Kelly and Sabrina had a point about him being a jerk, but the man did have good taste, they had to admit.

The hotel was clean and elegant with shiny tile floors and thick green carpeting in its lobby. Not the most expensive hotel she'd ever been in - Greg didn't have Charlie's kind of money, after all, not many did - but it was very nice.

The girls checked in and the bellhop carried their luggage into the elevator and rode up to the fourth floor with them. Their room was right in front of the elevators, Jill noted and was pleased. Easy to find. The bellhop carted their things inside, politely refused the tip Sabrina tried to give him and then they were alone in their room.

"Well, this is nice." Sabrina mused, looking around.

Jill looked around as well and had to agree. Greg had booked them adjoining rooms connected by a huge, luxurious bathroom. The girls wandered around both rooms, taking in their new home base for a few minutes before all three plopped themselves down on one of the beds in the first room.

"We don't need to share beds this time," Kelly said with a yawn. She flopped over on her back and then a devious smile spread across her face. They weren't done having their fun with her, Jill realized wearily. "Unless of course, _Jay_ comes over."

"Hmm, you'll have a whole room to yourselves." Sabrina teased. "I hope these walls are soundproof or how will Kelly and I ever get any sleep?"

Jill narrowed her eyes playfully at her friends as they laughed. "Maybe he _will_ come over. Then we can see just how soundproof these walls are. And maybe he'll have two cute, single brothers for the two of you and maybe I'll tell him you're dating _each other_ instead. How about that?" She suddenly hoped he would call so she could shut them up.

"Okay, _okay_. We're sorry, we'll stop." Sabrina chuckled. She propped herself up on the bed and slapped her hands on her legs, suddenly all business. "So, let's get to work. How are we splitting this up? We can hit up all of the alteration shops in town, we can try finding the kid if she's in a public school or we can look up David Taylor and find out where he used to work." She shrugged and smiled. "Or get extremely lucky and find where the guy lives. You know, if he hasn't picked up and moved already."

Kelly looked doubtful. "Wouldn't that be the first thing you'd expect him to do?"

Sabrina shrugged again. "He and Eva might not even know that Greg has figured out they're together. Or maybe he's taking care of some things before he leaves and that's why Greg's little bird saw them here. Whichever it is, we still might be able to pick up his trail through a neighbor or even a realtor. And if we strike out there, well maybe we can find one of _his_ unintentionally helpful relatives."

"Yeah, maybe." Kelly conceded, though she still looked unconvinced.

"I'll look up David Taylor." Jill offered. She grabbed his file off the bed where Sabrina had left it and made a face. "Taylor. Gee, how exotic. That shouldn't pop up more than three hundred times."

"Well, don't expect to find _him_ with it." Kelly pointed out. "If I was running from someone who was probably going to end up dumping my dead body in the bay, I'd change my name too."

Jill was taken aback. That was the second crack one of her friends had made about their client killing somebody. Greg was no saint, but surely he wasn't a _murderer_.

Or at least she didn't think so.

"I thought we were joking. Do you really think that?" Jill asked, almost laughing at the inanity of it. "Crooked maybe, but I don't think he's a killer."

"You being hot on him makes me wonder." Sabrina piped up. "You have a thing for bad boys. Admit it, Jill."

Jill scoffed. "Not killers. Come on."

"I wonder about some of the guys you've brought around," Kelly muttered. "Anyway, they've probably changed their names if they're even dumb enough to come back here to the guy's hometown in the first place. I think Greg's bird has us chasing a dead end."

Jill rolled her eyes. Kelly's growing negativity was starting to grate on her nerves. "Well, aren't _you_ a ray of sunshine?" She muttered sarcastically.

"What?" Kelly laughed. "You steal from dangerous people you don't go somewhere where they'd think to find you."

"You don't know that he's dangerous. He just wants his kid back." Jill sighed, trying to be patient. "If your parents had wanted to find _you_ , wouldn't you have hoped someone would be there to help them? You would think _you_ of all people should sympathize."

She saw Sabrina's eyes widen slightly in shock and realized immediately just how disastrously she'd worded that thought.

It shut Kelly up though. She gave a non-committal shrug. "You would think." She muttered back, after a moment.

Jill paled, immediately regretting not taking a moment longer to think about her words before she spilled them. "That... Kelly, no. That's _not_ what I meant-" she stammered. A heavy tension hung in the air for a few moments. An apology was right on the tip of Jill's tongue when Sabrina decided to have some mercy and save her.

"Crooked thug or not, he's the one paying us," Sabrina said. "Let's find his ex and his kid before we go jumping to conclusions, huh? Maybe he's telling the truth and the kid would be better off with him. Charlie wouldn't have approved it if he thought someone was gonna get hurt, right?"

Kelly gave a reluctant shrug and Jill continued to sit and stare at the TV. She was still irritated with Kelly, but she did feel horrible about what she'd said. Jill glanced her way, hoping to get a read on her, but she seemed preoccupied with the TV for the time being.

"Even if I can't find David Taylor-" Jill said when no one else would speak. "-maybe a coworker or somebody knows something. He had to have told somebody _something_ that we can use to get us on the trail."

She'd been expecting Sabrina to say something but was pleased when Kelly spoke up instead. "If you tell them he's stolen money they might give him up," Kelly added, sounding normal and not at all hurt. That was a relief. "They'll probably think you're a cop. I wouldn't discourage that."

"I wouldn't either." Sabrina agreed. She bent over the notepad that was in her lap and scribbled a few things down before tapping her pen thoughtfully against the side of her face. "Okay, so you do that. Tomorrow is Tuesday and the schools will open up around 8:00, so, Kell, do you want to hunt down kids with me tomorrow?"

Kelly laughed. "A Tuesday hunting down a kid. How can I say no when you put it that way?"

Sabrina smiled back at her. "Yeah, yeah." She scribbled something else down and then tossed her notepad onto the nightstand beside her. "No telling how many schools there are. It might take all day."

Kelly nodded. "They'll need to think that we're cops too. They might be more willing to give us information if they think the kid is in danger or she's been kidnapped."

"Just figure out a way to do it without getting yourselves arrested for impersonating an officer," Jill added. She shook her wrist and studied her watch. "It's almost five. I'm gonna try to find some Taylors before it gets too late."

Sabrina nodded her head. "Schools are closed now, but me and Kelly can look for new hires at actual tailor's shops. Hand me that phone book, would ya Kell?"

With Kelly and Sabrina hunting down alteration and tailor's shops in the yellow pages, Jill decided she'd do some hunting of her own. After a quick wardrobe change, she left her two friends to their work and headed down to the hotel's lobby. She could have stayed and used the phone book after her friends were done with it, but she was getting antsy and a walk around her new surroundings would clear her head.

It would also be nice to see what kind of cars Charlie had reserved for them.

First things first though.

Jill borrowed a phone book from the old man behind the lobby's front desk, snatched up a city map and set to work jotting down all of the Taylors that were listed and circling them on the map. Twenty-six Taylors in all, Jill realized glumly as she set her pencil down. Three of them were Davids and that's just the ones who were listed in the book.

This was going to be a long and boring week.

Saturday's game might just have to be postponed.

With a heavy sigh, Jill stuffed the Taylor list into her purse and handed the old man back his phone book with a quiet thanks. This wasn't exactly something she could call ahead and ask. If David Taylor was still in town - and she was beginning to see Kelly's point about how dumb that might be- then she wasn't about to scare him off. Some reconnaissance was in order and for that, she needed a car.

Luckily, Charlie had provided three for them. "Just ask the front desk", he'd told them to say and after returning the book, Jill did exactly that. The old man rang his bell, another bellhop appeared almost instantly and Jill found herself quickly led to the parking garage across the street.

"I don't know who you work for-" The young man was saying conversationally as they walked. "-but, I've never seen my boss so stressed out before."

Jill giggled. This guy was cute too, though he was a little too young for her. "Kevin", it said on his name tag. San Francisco was proving a nice place to visit. "Why is he so stressed, Kevin?" She asked, lingering on his name.

Kevin shrugged his shoulders. "He wouldn't tell me even if I asked him. But, all morning it's been ' _are those cars okay?_ ' and ' _don't let anyone near those cars_!'" He looked at her suspiciously. "You don't work for President Ford do you?"

Again, Jill giggled. "If I did, that would be _classified_ , wouldn't it?"

Kevin grinned at her. "I suppose it would."

They had finally arrived at the top floor of the parking garage where three extremely underwhelming vehicles were parked one behind the other. Jill couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Charlie must have been trying to make sure that they would blend into the crowd. Either that or he was trying to cut down on overhead, because before her was a late model beige Chevy sedan, a white Ford Diplomat, and a tan and brown station wagon.

"Oh, when Carter takes office, I'll have to tell him to update the garage." Jill sighed.

Kevin stared at her with a half-smile on his face, not quite sure whether she was joking or not. Jill decided it was more fun to leave him in mystery. "I'll take the white one then." She said sweetly, holding out her hand for the keys.

"Yes, ma'am." Kevin obliged her. He fished a key ring out of his pocket. On it was a key to the car and another smaller key for something else, Jill had no clue.

 _Hopefully the mini bar in the room_ , she thought glumly to herself.

She tipped Kevin a few dollars and he lingered around long enough to see her start the car and take an intentional circuit around the lot before heading towards the lower floors and out into the street.


	7. One Coincidence Too Many

_**Tuesday, November 9th**_

By 8:00 the following evening, their case had Jill both frustrated and bored out of her mind.

The quest for David Taylors had so far proven a complete and total bust.

It had started off promising enough the previous afternoon. She'd been pleased to see that the first of the David Taylors on her list lived ten minutes away from their hotel and decided after leaving Kevin, that he would be her first stop.

Luck continued to be on her side when, immediately after putting her car in park across the street from David Taylor Number One's house, a woman emerged from the front door. Jill watched with anticipation as a petite, dark-haired woman that could have been Eva Rossi got into the passenger seat of the van that was parked in the driveway.

But, when a man that had to be at least seventy years old exited the house next, Jill had felt her excitement dissipate. Still, to be diligent, she poked around a bit longer once they left, even going so far as to have a brief discussion with a neighbor who'd stepped out to water her plants. She'd had a feeling that this was a dead end, but the talk with the neighbor sealed it for her. Fifteen minutes after she'd parked, she drove away, certain that this David Taylor wasn't the David Taylor she was looking for.

That brief moment of false hope seemed to sum up everything that she'd checked out from then until now.

She'd finished the list of David Taylors that evening. It hadn't taken her too long. The second David Taylor she hadn't bothered with. He was ninety-four and lived in a nursing home.

The third appeared to be promising, but after camping outside of his house for an hour and a half and following him and his family to a nearby grocery store, Jill dejectedly crossed him off of the list as well. The David Taylor she was looking for had no children. Only Greg's ex-wife and her nine-year-old child.

Today's adventures had taken her into the glamorous world of accounting.

Jill quest led her into one accounting firm after another, speaking with so many managers, CPAs, and secretaries that she'd started mixing them up by noon. Not that it mattered because the closest thing she'd gotten was an accountant by the name of Daniel Taylor who was, of course, no relation to the Taylor she was seeking.

She'd expected that much though, she tried to remind herself. Besides, there were two more accounting firms she'd left for Kelly and twenty-three Taylors left on her list for tomorrow. One of them was bound to get them a lead.

Resolved to cross more Taylors off of her list in the morning, Jill left the office parking lot and headed back towards their hotel. It was getting late and she was getting hungry. A late dinner was sounding very nice about now.

And it would taste even better if Kelly and Sabrina had managed to find something of interest since the last time they'd spoken.

Jill tried to be optimistic, but their day hadn't seemed much more promising than hers had been.

When last she checked in with Kelly around 4:30 that afternoon, she had already exhausted her list of possible Michelle Samsons with nothing to show for it, and was heading over to knock out the remaining accounting firms that happened to be close by the school.

Sabrina had reported more of the same, though she hadn't been able to finish her list of possible Michelle Samsons before the dismissal bell rang. That and a stream of complaints about getting stuck with the gas guzzling station wagon were all she had to offer.

Jill smiled to herself as she thought back to their conversation. Maybe if she didn't always lead with " _scissors_ ", she would win a game every now and then, she'd finally told her and Sabrina had been dumbfounded. It was hard to believe that, brilliant as she was, she never seemed to realize how predictable her "rock, paper, scissors" game was. It wasn't her fault she and Kelly paid attention.

The drive back to the hotel was blessedly less stressful than her previous excursions now that the five o' clock rush hour had ended. There was still a section of the street blocked off by cones and police tape, leftover remnants of the accident that had stalled traffic yesterday as Jay drove them from the airport to the hotel. It must have been pretty bad to still be blocked off the way it was.

But it didn't seem to be causing any more delays, Jill was pleased to discover, and traffic was flowing smoothly.

The hotel was a welcome sight and she was even more grateful when she finally arrived at the fourth floor and stepped into their suite.

Kelly looked up from where she was sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Hey. What's going on?"

"Hey, yourself." Jill greeted her, hoping Kelly noticed the strange look she was giving her. Sometimes Kelly did odd things and this was one of them. She was sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, but there wasn't a book or magazine in her lap and the TV wasn't on."I feel like I want to ask you the same question."

Kelly shrugged. "Just thinking."

Well, she did have plenty to think about lately, Jill figured and decided to drop it. "Well, alright. Don't let me stop you."

Yawning, she let her purse slip to the floor and flopped onto one of the beds. She listened for a moment and then, noticing Sabrina was gone, gave a quick look around the room. "Hey, where's Bri?"

"She went to get some dinner," Kelly said quietly. "You weren't here and we couldn't get a hold of you so I hope sandwiches are okay."

Jill shrugged. Anything sounded good about now. "I like sandwiches."

"Well, good," Kelly said, with a slight chuckle. "So, any luck on your end?"

Jill rolled over onto her stomach so it would be easier to hold a conversation. "No, not so far. What about you? Nothing at the lasts two places you took off my list?"

She was shaking her head before Jill even finished her question. "Two Davids. Neither of them Taylors." Kelly answered, giving a disappointed shrug.

 _Damn._

"Maybe Greg was wrong about him being an accountant." Jill mused. "Maybe he just saw him in a suit and tie."

Kelly only shrugged. "Maybe."

"Yeah, maybe." Jill echoed and then grinned playfully. "Or maybe Eva Rossi has daddy issues and David Taylor is the ninety-four-year-old in the nursing home?"

Kelly smiled and mulled that over for a little bit. She was still sitting on the floor and Jill found herself wishing she would get up and come sit down on a piece of furniture like a normal human being so it would be easier to talk to her.

"Could he be his dad maybe?"

Jill shook her head. "No. I thought about that, but our guy isn't a Jr. Plus, he really didn't look the type. Trust me. I'm gonna cross off some more Taylors on my list tomorrow. Maybe I'll catch a break."

"Maybe." Kelly agreed. "Maybe we will too."

She lapsed into silence and, with nothing else to talk about, Jill closed her eyes and was surprised when the sound of the door opening woke her. She sat up, a bit embarrassed with herself for having fallen asleep. Sabrina was back now, chattering excitedly about something as Kelly helped her with the food. Jill rubbed her eyes and tried to clear the fog out of her head. A quick glance at the clock on the nightstand told her she had only been asleep a little over twenty minutes.

"This one is for Kelly. And this one is mine…" Sabrina was talking to herself as she pulled paper wrapped sandwiches out of the bag the food was in. Jill, still rubbing her eyes, padded over to table where they had set up and waited patiently.

"Hey, you're up," Kelly said, just noticing her. She slid a sandwich toward her. "That one's yours."

Jill was still groggy, but she took her sandwich and slipped into one of the chairs.

"-and those are your drinks…" Sabrina kept on. "-and here's some mustard and some chips…"

By the time she was done doling out everything in the bag, Jill and Kelly had already seated themselves and were busily tearing into their dinner. With the bag empty, Sabrina finally crumpled it, tossed it aside and swept her own dinner towards her.

"Oh, guess what I found out?" She said and irritatingly took a big bite out of her sandwich so that she couldn't answer the question for at least half a minute.

"What did you find?" Jill asked impatiently after what seemed like an hour of chewing.

Sabrina finally swallowed and then cleared her throat. She was drawing it out, Jill realized and was both amused and irritated. It must be especially juicy.

"Remember that accident that held us up yesterday?" Sabrina finally began.

"The one on Bayshore?" Kelly asked disinterestedly. She was too busy picking olives out of her sandwich to notice Sabrina's theatrics.

"That's the one. It wasn't a car accident." Sabrina went on, cryptically.

 _Ugh, Sabrina_. "Are you planning on telling us what it was then?" Jill huffed.

Sabrina leaned forward, her brown eyes lit up with excitement. "Get this. It was a _murder_ scene."

She had both Jill and Kelly's undivided attention now.

"What?" Jill blurted out. "How do you know?"

Sabrina shrugged and went back to eating. "The guy at the sandwich place was talking about it when I got to the counter. I asked him what had happened and he told me that it was on the news last night."

It wasn't exactly dinner conversation but Jill was curious nonetheless. "So what happened?"

"Apparently, the car had been abandoned like that on the side of the road. They found a body inside the trunk of the car. We drove right by a _murder_ scene! Wild, huh?"

"Ew." Jill wrinkled her nose. "Who was it?"

"I dunno. Some guy. Someone shot him and left him in the trunk overnight. Nobody bothered reporting the car blocking the road until the morning traffic rush." She paused for a moment to finish the bite in her mouth. "And get this, they said it looked like an execution. Nothing was stolen or anything. Guy's name was Jansen. Robert Jansen, I think it was."

"Wow." Was all Jill could reply with. Maybe San Francisco _wasn't_ such a nice place to visit, Jill thought to herself. Every element of that story- the abandoned car, the lack of stolen items, the execution-like shooting- sounded like poor Mr. Jansen was up to some shady business. This story had no personal bearing on her, however, so she gave a low whistle and was about to change the subject to the much more table friendly topic of her upcoming basketball game when a glance in Kelly's direction stopped her.

"Kelly?" Jill chanced, feeling a chill wash right through her. Kelly looked like she'd seen a ghost. Just like she had yesterday morning before they'd left.

She didn't seem to have heard. "Robert Jansen?" Kelly asked, studying Sabrina with a strange intensity. "Are... are you sure?"

The look didn't go unnoticed. Sabrina narrowed her eyes. "That's what he told me. Why? What's wrong?"

Jill felt her stomach drop when Kelly caught her gaze.

 _No, no way..._

Jill shook her head abruptly. "Whoa, no. Wait, wait, wait!" She said quickly, waving her hands as if that could stop the madness of what they both thought was going on. "No - it's... it's just someone with the same name, I mean-"

"The same name in the same city I used to live in?" Kelly said quietly. She set her food down, seeming to have lost all interest in dinner.

Sabrina was glancing between them like she was watching a particularly confusing tennis match. "What are you talking about?" She asked in confusion.

Jill ignored her. "Wait a minute, Kelly. We need to be sure about this before-"

"We'll check the 10:00 news then," Kelly said nervously. "But come on, Jill, it's too much for that to be a coincidence. Something's going on."

Jill felt a horrible sinking sensation in her gut and knew Kelly was right. There was no point arguing about it. She blew out a nervous breath and fixed her friend with a hard stare. "Something like what?"

"What the hell are you two talking about!?" Sabrina cut in, very much flustered at being left out. "What's going on? Wait, did you open another letter that I don't know about?"

Jill glanced at Kelly, caught the pleading look in her eyes, and knew that it was probably too much for her to be able to talk about.

"Will one of you tell me already?!" Sabrina demanded impatiently.

"Okay, _okay_. I'll tell you." Jill decided to field the question for her, much to Kelly's visible relief. "Something is going on with everyone who Kelly used to live with when she was a foster kid." Jill started slowly.

It didn't seem like Sabrina had expected anything even close to what had come out of her mouth. She let out a bewildered laugh. "What?! What do you mean?"

"Just what I said." Jill sighed and decided to back up. "Okay, remember the letter she got?"

Sabrina nodded her head. "Beamish."

"Right. And then before we left, do you remember seeing on the news about those bodies that turned up in Glendale?"

"I... I think I remember hearing about that." Sabrina replied. "Last week, right?"

Jill nodded. "It was a couple. Warren and Carol Patrick. It was on the news that they had been identified right before we left for the airport. You were in the shower. It was a couple that Kelly used to live with."

Sabrina blinked and turned to Kelly, who, to her credit, was sitting calmly enough. Only her nervous fidgeting gave away how upset she was. "Oh, shit. I'm…I'm sorry, Kell. I had no idea. Were you…I mean, had you kept up-"

"No, she didn't keep up with them." Jill interrupted. "They made her life miserable just like that Beamish did. It wasn't a good time for her there. Or at that orphanage-" She turned her eyes to Kelly. "Or-or I'm guessing with Robert Jansen?"

Kelly shook her head grimly. "No." She said simply.

Sabrina was quiet for a moment before bursting into anxious laughter. "Wait," she said, once she had composed herself. "You... you think this... I mean, don't you think this is just a coincidence?"

"A coincidence that four people who Kelly lived with when she was little just had their lives end violently in the last few weeks?" Jill laughed right back. "Two or more coincidences and it's probably not a coincidence."

Sabrina shook her head. "What... I mean, you don't even know if this is the right Robert Jansen. He could just have the same name for all you know. And Beamish... they don't even know she's dead. She's missing. She was old and wandered off."

"And the Patricks?" Jill challenged her.

Sabrina shrugged. "Maybe they were drug dealers, I mean, who the hell knows." She was shaking her head, but even she didn't seem particularly convinced in what she was saying. "I just don't think we should start leaping to conclusions and getting Kelly all worked up until…until we know for sure."

Her denial seemed so desperate, it made Jill laugh. "Fine. We'll wait for the 10:00 news. If Kelly says that the Robert Jansen who was in the trunk of that car isn't the same guy she was placed with, then we can talk about stuff just being a coincidence."

Sabrina sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of her nose with one hand as if warding off an impending headache. "Fine, let's just... let's just wait until the news. Kelly, would you be able to recognize the guy?"

Kelly nodded her head slowly.

"Good. We'll just wait and see." Sabrina said firmly. That being said, she turned her attention back to her dinner, doing her best not to act like she was rattled at what was going on.

Jill knew her better than that though and the unspoken concern on Sabrina's face unsettled her even more. She glanced at her watch. Just past 9:15.

Another forty-five minutes to wait. Jill tried to refocus her attention back to her dinner but found her appetite was gone. She was more anxious to watch the news than she could ever remember being.

* * *

Nothing more was said about Robert Jansen, but without a doubt, he was just as much on Sabrina and Kelly's minds as he was on Jill's because at ten till ten she watched both of them wordlessly set down what they were doing and crowd in front of the TV in the corner.

It was a quarter till eleven when they finally covered the story the girls had been waiting for. Jill waited until a picture of Robert Jansen, scowling into the camera from underneath the brim of a baseball hat, flashed across the screen. Immediately, she looked at Kelly, waiting for the spark of recognition in her best friend's green eyes.

Unsurprisingly, she found it and immediately fixed her attention on Sabrina to see what she was going to do.

"Is that him?" She was asking Kelly quietly.

Kelly looked sick again. "Yeah."

Sabrina narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "It's been fifteen years. You're _sure_ that's him?"

"I'm sure," Kelly answered her after a moment.

Sabrina turned to Jill and shrugged, not even rolling her eyes at the triumphant "told you so" expression Jill was doing her best to give her. "Well, shit." She conceded. She got up, switched off the TV and then plopped back onto the bed where the girls had been lounging. "I don't know what to tell you, Kelly. But, it..it could _still_ be a coincidence, you know." She said doubtfully. "A really, really... _really_ weird coincidence."

"A coincidence?" Jill blew a raspberry. "You don't believe that, do you?"

She may have wanted to lie, at least for Kelly's sake, but at this point, how could she? After a moment, Sabrina gave her head a slow shake. "No, I don't," She said cautiously. "But, I'd really, _really_ like to."

Kelly rubbed her face in both hands and let out a soft groan. "And if it isn't? What...what am I supposed to think about all this?"

Sabrina shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe you don't have to think _anything_ about it. You reap what you sow, right? Maybe this is karma finally catching up to these people."

It wasn't normal for Sabrina to be so cold, especially about the loss of human life, but it was a bit validating to hear her say that because that was _exactly_ how Jill had been feeling since yesterday morning.

And in fact, she'd been thinking about something since hearing about the grisly fate of the Patricks yesterday morning before their flight. It had seemed a bit ridiculous then, but now…

Maybe, there was something to her little theory and maybe Sabrina would agree.

"And _maybe_ you weren't the only foster kid that they hurt." Jill chanced. Kelly and Sabrina looked up at her and, when neither burst into laughter, Jill decided she had enough credibility to continue. "Think about it. You had it bad at these places. The letter you got said that there were lots of girls that Beamish hurt and that's only during the time you were there. Do you think the Patricks and this Jansen guy had any more foster kids than you?"

Kelly nodded her head. Her face seemed colorless as if she had just been sick or was about to be. "I _know_ they did. I had some foster brothers and sisters when we lived with Mr. Jansen. He..." She paused for a moment, looking very uncomfortable. "-he hurt all of us. But, the boys had it the worst."

Jill didn't even want to know what that meant. "So, what you're saying is that there are lots of men and women around your age who knew these people-"

"But, all _four_ of them?" Kelly asked and Jill suddenly understood why she looked so upset. "What if I'm the only one that they can link to all four of them? If any of them get linked together by the cops, how long do you think it would take them to suspect a former foster kid? It took you five minutes, they'll think the same thing. And - and I have a record. I'll be the first one -"

Sabrina made a noise in the back of her throat that Kelly mistook for a laugh.

"I'm glad this is so entertaining to you." She snapped angrily.

"Hey now, Kelly, _no one's_ entertained here." Sabrina sighed, bringing up her hands to placate her. "Just... let's be rational about this. _Nothing_ is going to happen to you."

Kelly glared at her. "How do you know that?"

"Because, Kelly, you haven't been to Dallas or Glendale or San Francisco, until yesterday anyway, and you have lots of people who can verify that." Sabrina started gently. "There's no _way_ you could be a suspect."

Kelly shook her head. "But, they all had me in common and-"

"Kelly, we don't even know what's going on yet." Sabrina cut her off. "If there's anything going on, so just relax, okay?"

" _Relax_?" Kelly echoed in an irritated voice. "How am I supposed to _relax_?"

"Because no one is gonna think you had anything to do with this." Jill sighed, reaching out and laying a comforting hand on her friend's shoulders. "How could they even manage to connect them anyway? Beamish was all the way in Texas. The couple was in Los Angeles and this guy is in San Francisco, remember? You're okay."

"And it could still just be a coincidence." Sabrina piped up. "They might not be connected at all."

Kelly sat up. "I'm... I'm gonna make a few phone calls. I need to see... I mean, what if there are more and these are just the ones that I've heard of? "

Sabrina heaved a loud sigh. "Look, it's weird, Kell. I'll give you that. It's weird. But, that's all it is."

"You think I'm overreacting," Kelly said quietly, fixing her friend with an accusing glare.

"No, I don't," Sabrina said quickly. "I told you. It's weird. I just don't think you're going to find any more dead foster parents."

Kelly groaned and then pushed herself off of the bed and to her feet. Jill watched as she headed into the bathroom. The door stayed open and she didn't hear any running water, so she probably hadn't decided to get ready for bed.

"What are you doing, Kell?" Jill called out to her.

"Nothing." Came her muffled response. She had crossed into the other room. She shuffled around for a few minutes and then emerged with her clothes changed and her hair pulled back.

"And where are you going?" Sabrina asked in confusion.

Kelly sighed. "I told you. I need to go make some phone calls."

Jill shared a worried look with Sabrina. "Kelly, there's a phone right here in the room." She said evenly, yanking it up off of its cradle. The dial tone was loud enough for all of three of them to hear it. "Look, it works and everything."

"I know that," Kelly grumbled. "I just need some air."

"Why don't you sit down and clear your head for a minute, Kell?" Sabrina called to her and Jill could hear the growing frustration in her voice. Her frustration probably increased when the plea went ignored.

Kelly was starting to panic. She was hunting around the room for something, most likely her purse. Jill saw it on one of the chairs tucked under the table but decided not to be helpful.

Sabrina had decided the same thing but was much less passive about it. Done with trying to talk her down, Sabrina hopped off the bed, crossed the room and grabbed Kelly's arm, abruptly stopping her in her tracks.

"Stop!" Kelly tried to pull away but Sabrina wouldn't let go.

"No, Kelly, you stop!" Sabrina said firmly, jerking her forward and Jill dropped her head in her hands. So much for avoiding an argument. She hated when they fought, but sometimes this was the only way to get through to her and Sabrina knew it too. "You can't just get up and disappear like this. You don't know your way around here, remember?!"

This time Kelly was able to yank herself free. "I don't _need_ to know my way around, I'm just-"

"I know. You're just gonna make a phone call." Sabrina said heatedly. She looked around the room and gave an over-exaggerated shrug of her shoulders. "And who are you going to call, Kelly?"

"I can call... I can call Karen," Kelly said firmly. "We lived together with this family in New Mexico and she-"

"It's almost 11:00, Kelly," Sabrina cut her off. "And in New Mexico, it's already midnight. Nothing is open right now and no one wants to talk to you this late."

Kelly hesitated. There wasn't anything she could say to that, Jill knew, but still, she was refusing to back down. "Then I'll call someone else. I can look up-" She trailed off, knowing it was pointless. "I… I can't just _sit_ here. I have to do something."

"No, you don't," Sabrina said, gently but firmly.

Jill decided it was time to step in. "There isn't anything you can do right now." She told her calmly. Sabrina had managed to snap her out of her blind panic and all she had to do was calm her down enough so that she could think logically again. Not a small feat. "Bri's right. It's too late to go anywhere and it's too late to call anyone."

Kelly looked up. "Then tomorrow." She said stubbornly.

"Who are you planning on calling anyway?" Jill asked her. "What if Karen doesn't answer? Or what if she doesn't want to talk? Are you gonna reach out to your foster parents? See how they're doing?" She extended her thumb and pinky to mime a telephone. "Hi, this is Kelly. Still beating up little kids?"

Kelly made a face. "No, but-"

"Tomorrow we'll worry about the Samson case, okay?" Sabrina cut in. "Then later, we'll focus on what's going on with you. I don't think this is anything to panic over but if you think so, then we'll help you. Won't we, Jill?"

Jill nodded her head. "We will."

"And in the morning you can call your friend Karen." Sabrina continued once Kelly had turned back to her. "We'll see what she has to say." She took Kelly's arm again, gently this time and tried to guide her back toward where they'd been sitting. "I'll help you make calls too if that's what you want. Just try to stay calm until we have more information."

Kelly shrugged her off, looking very annoyed. "I _am_ calm."

"Even if you're not, it's okay," Jill spoke up. "We get it, you're freaked out. I would be too. But, let's wait. If there is something to this, then we'll come up with a game plan and then we can start looking more people up, alright?"

Kelly was quiet for a moment before finally nodding her head. "Alright."

"Atta girl," Sabrina said, looking a bit relieved. "Now, this conspiracy theory kept us up late so what do you say we go to bed? You're tired. In the morning, you'll be able to think more clearly and we'll help you figure this out."

Kelly rolled her eyes, but Jill saw her relax her stance. Her panic attack was over. For now, anyway. Without a word, she headed back into the restroom and when she emerged a few minutes later, she was ready for bed again.

"Tomorrow, Kell." Jill tried, taking pity on her. It had to be difficult to be going through whatever Kelly was going through. Just having those people's names brought up again had to be an ordeal for her. And then there was Helen Martin and that damn letter... overall, it just had not been a good week for Kelly's sanity.

Kelly acknowledged her with a slight nod, tossed her clothes into her open suitcase and when she passed by both of the beds, Jill realized she meant to sleep in the adjoining room. The door clicked softly closed and through it, she could hear the muffled creak of bed springs as Kelly climbed into one of the beds.

"Should we let her be by herself?" Jill asked quietly once she was sure Kelly couldn't hear.

Sabrina sighed and plopped down next to her. "Yeah. You know how she is. Just let her sleep on it."

"What if she leaves?"

Sabrina shrugged. "Then…well, there's nothing we can do about it. She's got a lot going on. Let's just try to focus on the case and we can help her deal with this once we figure out if there's anything to deal with."

"Yeah," Jill said half-heartedly. The sinking feeling hadn't left her stomach yet though. "What do you think is going on?"

"Ugh," Sabrina grumbled. Jill could sense her disgust as she pushed herself off of the bed and climbed into the other one, flipping off the TV as she passed it.

"Well?" Jill pressed.

Sabrina flopped onto her back. "I don't know what to think. It's weird, okay?" She admitted. She punched her pillow until she deemed it comfortable enough to lay on and then flopped onto it.

"It's really weird," Jill whispered back. "I don't like it. Something's going on."

"Well, let's hope you're wrong about that," Sabrina answered her stubbornly.

Jill stared hard at her. "And what she calls around tomorrow and we find out about more dead foster parents? What then?"

Sabrina groaned. "Well..." She started slowly. "...then we _definitely_ start to worry."

She fell quiet and after a few minutes, Jill gave up and forced herself to lie down. Sabrina may have wanted to postpone her concern until later, but something about this whole situation, the letter, the murders, the missing people….something about it felt like it had to be something much, much more than just a coincidence.

Sabrina wanted her to wait until they were sure something was wrong to start worrying?

She rolled over and fixed her gaze on Sabrina, laying on her back and staring quietly up at the ceiling. By the look on her face, she wasn't taking her own advice.

Well, Jill thought grimly to herself, then she supposed they were _both_ ahead of the game. Worry was all she could think to do at the moment.


	8. Houseguest

_**Wednesday, November 10th**_

The next morning, Jill awoke before Sabrina and was relieved to hear that the shower was running. That meant Kelly hadn't wandered off somewhere and that was probably the best start to the day that Jill could have hoped for.

Kelly didn't say anything about either her letter or her unfortunate former foster parents as they prepared for their day and by a silent and mutual agreement, Jill and Sabrina chose to follow her lead. The girls enjoyed a complimentary hot breakfast and coffee in the hotel lobby and, after exchanging a few notes, went about their ways.

Despite everything that had happened last night, Kelly seemed to be acting normally enough, Jill noted. She looked a little ragged, as if she hadn't slept much, but there was no more panic, no more agitation. It was likely a façade, but at least she was trying.

And since she would be partnering with Sabrina for the day, Jill felt fairly confident that nothing from last night would be brought up between the two of them to further upset her.

Jill thought for a moment, wondering if she could get Kelly alone sometime this evening so she could talk to her.

Maybe, she thought. If Kelly was in a talking mood by then.

That would be later though. For now, she had some work to do.

Jill sighed as she climbed into her car and started it up. She'd made sure to beat her friends to the garage so that she could get the Diplomat and leave Sabrina and Kelly to a "rock, paper, scissors" battle over the Chevy. But though the Diplomat was the best of the three vehicles, it was still a Dodge Diplomat. She felt a pang of longing for the powerful engine and superior handling of her Cobra at home. There was no point in that though, she had a case to focus on and about a million Taylors to sort through.

By eleven that morning, she had checked a few more Taylors off of her list and, feeling a bit hungry and more than a bit frustrated, she decided to take a short break at a diner she spotted. Maybe the food would be good, maybe not, but it looked quiet and the cream and blue color scheme was appealing to her.

She plopped herself down in one of the booths and, ignoring the waitress' funny look, ordered a cup of coffee, some French fries, and a slice of cherry pie and then spread out her notes on the table in front of her.

Usually, she had a lot better luck narrowing down a big group of people like this, Jill thought to herself with a frown. She had a knack for it. But, this was somehow different. For reasons she couldn't quite place, this felt like a failure from the very start and as she went through the list, she saw absolutely nothing that caught her eye. No patterns, no clues, no nothing.

She was pouring over her notes so intently that she didn't notice her waitress approaching until the older woman plunked down a coffee cup right in front of her.

Jill popped up and nearly screamed.

"Sorry, honey." The waitress apologized, hiding a throaty chuckle. "Sure you want some more caffeine? Seems like you've had enough already."

Jill swallowed the sarcastic comment that was on the tip of her tongue and made herself smile. "Sorry, I guess I was just lost in my work."

The waitress filled her cup with steaming hot coffee and, even though Jill had started sweeping away her notes in an obvious attempt to keep her from prying, pried anyway. "What's all that? You looking for somebody?"

Jill scooped up the stack of papers and shoved them toward the opposite end of the table. "You could say that." She poured some cream into her cup from the little pot that had been sitting on the table and somewhat belatedly hoped it had been fresh. Regardless, she looked up and forced another sweet smile. "But, don't worry, he didn't break my heart or nothin'."

The waitress nodded. "Huh." She grumped, lingering at the table for some reason that irritated Jill. "Dave Taylor, is it?"

Jill almost spit out her coffee. How the hell long had this woman been standing there staring at her notes? "Ex..excuse me?" She stammered.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but notice." The older woman laughed. "You've only got his name written down about a hundred times."

Jill defensively scooted her stack of papers farther away. "Well, he's the one I'm looking for. One of them anyway…there seem to be a lot of Taylors around here."

"I see that." The waitress answered, cocking her head. "Funny thing. I used to know a Dave Taylor."

Jill froze, wondering if she'd just unknowingly cartwheeled into a patch of good luck or if the older woman was having some fun with her. "Yeah?" She asked casually, sliding her notes back towards them. "Was he one of these?"

The waitress snorted. "Oh, hell if know, sweetheart." She chuckled. "I just knew his name was Dave Taylor. And it's probably been oh, I don't know-" She thought for a moment. "-maybe twenty years since I've seen him. He used to come in here all the time though. Must have moved."

Jill's face fell. "Oh. Do you know where he went?"

The woman shook her head. "No, we weren't real friendly. I knew his last name because he would sign for his meal with M. D. Taylor. Went by Dave though. We chatted when he came in. Sometimes he was with friends and sometimes alone." She smiled wistfully. "He always flirted me up when he was alone."

She suddenly put her hands on her hips like she'd been offended. "Well, I wasn't _always_ a sack of bones like I am now. I used to be young and pretty like you too, ya know."

Jill paled, wondering frantically if she'd made a face. "Oh, no I-"

"But like I said, it's been awhile. He must have moved." She smirked. "Or started eating better. Either way it's been years and years since he's stopped by."

"Well, darn." Jill recovered somewhat. "That doesn't help me much at all." She said with a big smile.

"Suppose not. Your fries will be out in a minute, hon."

The waitress trotted off, leaving Jill to her coffee.

So much for that patch of good luck, the blonde detective thought irritably. If she was going to snoop the least she could have done was offered up something useful.

Jill took another sip of her coffee.

M. D. Taylor….

Well, maybe she had been useful.

Jill was suddenly struck with an idea. She pushed her coffee aside and quickly spread her notes out in front of her. She'd been looking for David Taylors this whole time, because that's the name Greg Samson had given her and she'd just taken it for granted. But what if David was the guy's middle name?

She went through her list again and ended up circling three names:

John D. Taylor

Theodore D. Taylor

And of course, Martin D. Taylor

Jill studied the three names, feeling her heart starting to flutter in excitement. Could one of those be Dave Taylor, she wondered to herself. Was Martin D. Taylor, the M. D. Taylor that used to frequent the very building she was sitting in?

He very well could be.

Jill left a nice tip and ended up taking her pie and fries to-go. The coffee, she left behind. There was no need for caffeine. She felt plenty refreshed now.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Jill found herself parked outside of a high rise apartment building. _Hyland_ _Tower_ , it said in big bronze block letters on the alcove. It looked very new, very modern.

A little _too_ new for the same Dave Taylor to have lived in twenty years ago, but it was just around the corner from the diner, giving credence to her theory that this was the same man her waitress was talking about. Recently renovated building, perhaps?

Completely off the trail and total waste of time building?

Jill sighed. Perhaps.

There was only one way to found out. She shut off the engine of her car and sat pensively, studying the flashy front entrance. This seemed like a place for a younger crowd. Not the sort of thing she'd expect a middle aged accountant to be living in, but, then again, what did she know about middle-aged accountants?

She finished her last French fry and wiped the grease on the leg of her black slacks. New building or not, for some reason, she felt like Martin Taylor was her man. She had his address, now all she needed to do was find the apartment he lived in and maybe, just maybe, think of a way to have a few words with him.

Easier said than done.

Deciding an opportunity would present herself once she was inside, Jill climbed out of her car and headed up the steps toward a set of metal and glass double doors.

 _Very nice_ , she thought to herself as she stepped inside.

It was a very elegant place, probably very expensive to live in. Just as she thought, there were a lot of younger residents milling about, stepping into elevators and checking their mail.

Jill eyed the long row of metal slots that took up almost the entirety of the back wall.

Mailboxes.

He had to get mail, didn't he?

Hoping no one would question what she was doing, Jill headed toward the mail slots and had to fight back the smile that almost lit up her face. They had names on them. Last name, first initial, and apartment number. All she needed.

She found Taylor's quickly enough. It was toward the beginning of the row, almost eye level to her. Perfect.

308 D

Jill did her best to act natural. She milled about the lobby area, trying to get a feel for the place, pretended to make a phone call and then, when she was ready, boarded the first elevator that opened.

She wasn't sure how the apartment numbers were organized just yet, so she pressed the button for the third floor on a hunch and then leaned back against the carpeted wall of the building's elevator. It was nice too, she mused, with a green and yellow patterned carpet on the floor, well-lit as far as elevators went and roomy, though Jill wasn't sure if the back wall being half mirror had anything to do with that.

Still, that was a rather convenient perk. Not one to waste time, she checked her hair in the mirror as the car took her upwards. When the doors opened, a pleasant little "ding" sounded and Jill, with not a hair out of place, was greeted with a view of the third floor of Hyland Tower. Luckily, no one was boarding and she was delighted to find herself stepping out into an empty hallway.

It was just as elegant as the lobby and elevator had been with the same green and yellow patterned carpet and clean tan colored walls. Even though she was alone in the hallway, Jill still looked about cautiously. Each side of the hallway was lined with stark white doors. The room numbers were marked in bronze lettering right below the peepholes.

300 C

Jill glanced at the closest door to her. Trying the third floor had been the right idea after all. After a few minutes of wandering, the C's gradually turned into D's and then she found herself standing right in front of her target: 308 D.

She looked around, wondering if she should knock. It was nearly noon on a Wednesday, so it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for him to be gone. Jill frowned, she'd been so excited about the potential lead, she hadn't thought about her timing until just now. Maybe it would have been better to make her visit later in the evening.

She knocked anyway. Once, then twice more. But, she had been right not to expect much.

"Damn." Jill sighed under her breath. She let her hands flop to her sides in defeat as all of her previous excitement drained right out of her. What to do, what to do?

She supposed she could go investigate the other two Taylors she'd moved to the top on her list and then come back around 6:00 when he'd be home, but for some reason, she couldn't get herself to leave.

Jill nervously glanced down the hallway. She was still alone. Picking the lock might be an option, but picking locks wasn't really her forte. It would take a long time and she couldn't risk anyone stepping outside and catching her. Kelly would have it open in a flash, she thought with a sigh, but Kelly wasn't here.

Maybe she could pretend she was locked out and ask the front desk to open the door? It seemed a good idea for the entirety of five seconds. Surely, the front desk knew him. She could pretend to be a house sitter, but what if they tried to call him to verify? Jill frowned. The locked out angle didn't seem to work here.

Her blue eyes suddenly lit up.

 _But, maybe…_

With one last glance down the empty hallway, Jill dropped to her knees and flipped up the welcome mat that was lying in front of the door. Hoping for a key to be under the mat just showed how wildly desperate she was to salvage the situation, but just maybe…

Stupid yes, but God knew she always hid an extra key on top of the rafters by her front door, just in case she ever locked herself out. There were no rafters here so Mr. Taylor may have done the best that he could.

Jill was absolutely dumbfounded when a little silver key tumbled out from where it had been sticking to the bottom of the mat.

She stared at it in disbelief for a few seconds, unable to believe her luck, before smiling widely. Not much for security, this Mr. Taylor, but maybe he would be useful enough to answer a few questions. Being as quiet as possible, Jill plucked up the key, let herself in and shut the door quietly behind her.

The building had been so nice that the messy appearance of Taylor's apartment was a bit of a shock. The lights were off, but there were no curtains on the windows, giving her plenty of light to examine her surroundings. Jill looked around, wondering if there would be anything here to give her a lead. There was hardly any furniture and what little there was had untidy piles of clutter all over it. No television either, she noticed, no coffee maker, no pots and pans.

The guy was still in the process of moving, Jill noted to herself. That's certainly what _she'd_ do if she'd just run off with another man's ex-wife and money. As for being careless enough to leave a key under his mat….who knew?

Her eyes finished a circuit around the room.

There were no boxes sitting around, she realized and was a bit confused.

She had just stepped into the kitchen to see if there were any boxes stacked up where she couldn't see, when the sound of a door opening made her heart drop into her stomach.

 _Shit, shit, shit._

Jill bolted for the front door in a mad dash to escape unseen. Unfortunately, she had just enough time to scramble out of the kitchen and into the wide open space of the living room when a young man stepped out from the hallway, blocking her path.

Both Jill and the young man froze.

"Uh…hi." Jill stammered after a moment. Not knowing what else to do, she gave him a little wave.

As expected, he didn't take it well.

"Whoa…who…who the hell are you?!" The young man had what probably would have been a comical look on his face in any other circumstance. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of loose, blue cotton pants and no shoes. He must have just woken up, because he was mid-yawn and stretching both arms above his head when he'd caught sight of his unexpected houseguest. His arms were still stretched above his head, but now his eyes were wide open.

Jill swore under her breath and forced herself to smile. "I didn't know you'd be home." She said innocently. "You must be Mike." The guy didn't seem at all to be a threat and so she approached him with one hand extended for a handshake. This seemed a desperately stupid ruse, but he was barely more than a kid and it was the only thing that had popped into her head. She had no choice but to run with it and be grateful Sabrina and Kelly weren't here to see it.

The young man finally lowered his arms and gave her the limpest handshake she'd ever been given. "What? No, I'm not Mike." He sputtered. He looked around in confusion. "How…how did you get in here? Who are you?"

"I…the key was under the mat. Your brother told you I was coming, didn't he?"

The young man looked utterly baffled. He looked around again as if unsure if he were dreaming or not and then made a noise in the back of his throat. "I don't have a broth- Who the fuck are you? Get out of my place!"

Jill took a few steps backwards and gave a nervous laugh. "What do you mean, you don't have a brother? You…you're –" She made herself looked horrified and it was easier than she expected. Her blue eyes went wide. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God, you aren't Mike!"

" _No_ , I'm not Mike." The young man cried. "I'm Paul-"

"Oh, my God." Jill said again. "Oh…I…I'm in the wrong apartment, aren't I?!" She hurried to the door, opened it and made a show of checking the number under the peephole. "Oh my God, this is 308 D not 308 C. I am _so_ sorry!"

Paul looked at her as if she'd escaped from a mental institution. "Wha-" He managed.

Jill shut the door and slapped her forehead. "I…wow. I live with my boyfriend and our place is getting sprayed for termites but he said we could stay with his brother Mike. We were supposed to meet here for lunch, he told me to go to his apartment in Hyland Tower and that the key would be under the mat. And…and it was, I just …." She burst into a fit of nervous laughter. "Wow, I really screwed up, huh? I bet you were coming out here ready to fight off an intruder, huh?"

The "looking at an escaped mental patient" expression was still on Paul's face. She had scared the shit out of him, she knew, but luckily, he accepted the way out he'd been given. "Uh, yeah." He said. He looked down at his smooth chest and suddenly realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Yeah, I…I heard someone come in and I thought I was about to get robbed."

Jill giggled. "I guess I'm lucky you didn't have a gun. I'd be dead about now."

Paul had grabbed up a shirt that was draped over the counter and was pulling it on over his head. "Uh, yeah. You…you lucked out."

Jill started backing towards the door again. "Anyway, again, I am _so_ sorry I barged into your apartment."

"Uh, that…I mean, it's fine. " Paul ran a hand through his dark, shaggy hair. He must have just realized that it was sticking up all over the place too, because he made a half-hearted attempt to smooth it down. "Who…who was it you were looking for again?"

Jill paused. She'd been thinking that she had blown her chance to ask him if he knew anything about David Taylor and was amazed when he gave her an in. Maybe this could still be her lucky day.

"Oh..I was looking for my boyfriend's brother. His name is Mike Duncan." Jill explained. She smiled widely. "Anyway…it was nice to meet you. I'm Jill, by the way. Jill Taylor."

Paul looked surprised. "Taylor, huh? I'm a Taylor too. Paul Taylor, nice to meet you."

Jill looked at him as if he'd said the most fascinating thing she'd ever heard. "You're a Taylor?" She said brightly. "Oh, are we related? Any relation to David Taylor? That's my dad."

Paul smiled, still looking a bit awkward. That was okay though. He could be as awkward as he wanted as long as she got some information out of him. "That's funny. My dad was David Taylor too." He paused. "Well, Martin David. This is my dad's place. I doubt he's your dad too though."

Jill let out a tinkling giggle. "No, I don't think so." She smiled sweetly. "I think we would know if we shared a dad."

Paul scoffed. "Hey, you never know. My dad cut and ran right after I was born. But, he left this place."

Jill made a face. "That was nice of him, I guess?"

"I guess. My Uncle Mark was living here until a few months ago and now he's leasing it out to me. I'm going to school at San Francisco University so hey, why not keep up the family tradition, right?" He smiled. "It's close to the school. Makes it easier. Plus, they just redid the place. Not a bad place for a bachelor."

"I guess so." Jill replied with a flirty grin. "So, you're a college man, huh? You look like you could be in high school!"

Paul's face fell. She had insulted him. Oops. Maybe it was a dream come true to wake up and have a beautiful woman standing in his apartment, but Jill wasn't here to make him happy. "I'm twenty one." He answered, a bit offended.

Twenty one. Maybe his father _was_ the same M.D. Taylor that used to flirt with her waitress. And Paul was probably the reason he stopped frequenting her diner. If so, she was better off without him. Deciding she'd gotten all she was going to get here, Jill laughed and shouldered her purse to leave. "Well, don't be upset, It's good to look young." She reached for the doorknob. "Sorry again for barging in like this. I'll put your key back where I found it. Listen, I'm glad you were so nice about it. Thanks again, Paul."

Paul grinned at her, seeming to have recovered. He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Hey, listen, Jill..." He looked around his apartment and blushed. "It's not usually so messy in here, I promise. If...if you ever want to come back, you know where I live."

"I sure do." Jill purred. Wiggling her fingers at him, she slipped out the door and shut it quietly behind her.

The grin on her face was purely for Paul. It melted off as soon as he was out of sight.

"Dammit." Jill whispered to herself. She replaced the key and stalked off down the hallway. There was a woman with a small child headed her way with a few bags of groceries, but Jill no longer cared. She blew by them without so much as a smile and punched the down button to wait for the elevator.

All of that build up and excitement for a dead end.

The elevator door opened and she stepped on and punched the lobby button a bit harder than she had before. This time she ignored the mirror.

It could have been worse, she thought to herself moodily. At least Paul hadn't called the police.

Or shot her in the face.

Striking out and then getting herself arrested or killed was a much worse way to end a day than just striking out and going home.

By the time the elevator reached the bottom floor, Jill was feeling a bit better about the situation. Thanks to Paul, she could cross off Martin _and_ Mark Taylor at least. That left two more Taylors on her list now so as far as she knew, she still had two more strikes before she was out.


	9. Dead End

Two strikes later, Jill slammed the door of her car, swearing under her breath as she fumbled with her keys.

It was nearing eight at night and her day hadn't gotten any better after her let down at Hyland Tower that afternoon.

As it turned out, not getting shot in the face was the _only_ take away from a day full of failure.

While she _had_ managed to get her foot in the door enough to speak to both Taylors, nothing about them led her to believe that she had found the Dave Taylor she was looking for. One of the Taylors was African-American and while he was pleasant enough and willing to answer questions, he didn't match the description nor the age range that Gregory Samson had given them. The second Taylor _did_ fit the description and had seemed promising until he'd opened his mouth.

For some reason, Jill doubted that Greg Samson would have left out on Taylor having the world's most pronounced Chicago accent in the known universe. He was a lech too, trying his best to get her to come inside for some " _drinks_ ".

 _No thank you_ , Jill thought to herself in disgust. Creep.

That had been the final straw.

More than ready to put an end to this day, Jill parked her car in the garage and hurriedly made her way back to their hotel room. Hopefully, Kelly and Sabrina had come up with something more than she had.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen either, as she discovered the moment she stepped foot into the room.

"Jill, please tell us you've got something." Greeted Sabrina's very frustrated voice before Jill could even see her face.

Jill frowned. Strike four, then. Wonderful.

"Well, I didn't get shot in the face." She offered brightly, tossing her coat onto one of the empty beds.

Kelly stepped into her line of sight. She and Sabrina had been in the adjoining room. "That's…always good to hear." She replied carefully. "Uh…anything we should know about?"

Jill had to laugh. At least she wasn't the only one who was tired and frustrated and ready to go home it seemed. "No, not really. I let myself into someone's apartment-"

"Oh, Jill." Kelly sighed. "We've been over this before. Always _knock_ before breaking and entering."

"Well, I'd only knocked about a _hundred_ times," Jill said crossly. "I didn't think anyone was home. Anyway, long story short, I got caught with…my hand in the cookie jar."

Kelly shook her head. "Who was home?"

"Some guy. Just a college kid." Jill explained, pulling up a seat at the little table. "Don't look so worried, I gave him the lost girlfriend routine and he bought it. Probably made his day."

This time, Kelly smiled. "This gig is gonna be way harder once we're old and fat, huh?"

"Tell me about it," Jill grumbled. She looked around to the little kitchenette in the corner. "Is that coffee, I smell?"

"Yes, and sure I'll get you some." Kelly chuckled, as she rose to her feet.

Jill grinned at her. "You are too good to me." She watched as Kelly grabbed up a Styrofoam cup that housekeeping had stacked on the counter for them. She looked okay now. All the panic from last night appeared to be gone. She decided against bringing anything up. "So, I'm guessing you two did just as badly as I did today?"

"Hmm. You could say that."

"I _did_ say that." Jill teased her. "So what happened?"

"What happened is I don't think they're here in San Francisco." Sabrina's voice answered instead. Jill turned to see her stepping into the room.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because-" Sabrina sat down and folded her hands in front of her. "-I talked to twenty-five elementary school secretaries today looking for a Michelle Samson-"

"I talked to thirty-two." Kelly chimed in.

Sabrina sent her a sideways glance. "And Kelly talked to thirty-two and _still_ no Michelle Samson." She finished. "We played the kidnapped kid routine so that the registrar would work with us, but still nothing."

"They could have changed their names," Jill suggested.

"We split up and checked out the kids," Kelly added. She had fixed three cups of coffee and set them down on the table before seating herself. "Out of the twenty-six third and fourth graders who registered in the last month or so, only three of them could have been a match." She stopped and fixed Jill with a look. "Do you know how weird it is spying on little kids?"

Jill stared at her. "Um, no."

" _We do_." Sabrina sang.

"Now, we do. It's weird." Kelly grumbled. "Jill, I sat in a station wagon parked outside of an elementary school playground for an _hour_ so I could take pictures of a third grader at recess. I feel like I should have my picture up in the post office."

She must not have meant it to be funny because when Jill and Sabrina started to laugh, Kelly only stared at them. That effectively killed the moment and then the table fell into a defeated silence. Jill was lost in her thoughts when a knock at the door startled her into almost spilling her coffee in her lap.

"We ordered take out," Sabrina explained, noticing her suspicion. "Relax, kiddo."

 _Ooh, take out._

Jill perked up. She hadn't eaten since her French fries and cherry pie snack earlier that afternoon. It didn't even matter that she had no idea what her friends had ordered. As long as it was food, it was the best news she'd had all day.

It looked like Kelly and Sabrina had skipped lunch as well because all three girls ate their Chinese take-out in contented silence. It was no Hidden Dragon, but Jill was pleased nonetheless. When they had finished, Jill cleared the table and the three detectives sat in a moody, tired trance.

This whole case felt like a dead end, Jill thought to herself. She glanced at her friends. Both of them looked tired. They had two more days in San Francisco before they could admit defeat and report to Greg Samson that, no, his ex-wife, her boyfriend, and the little girl were probably not in David Taylor's hometown.

Nothing like admitting defeat after four days of hard work.

"Well, _this_ is depressing," Jill said suddenly. "I want something sweet." She stood and gave Sabrina's shoulder a shake. "Come on, I saw one of those frozen yogurt places a few blocks down. Let's get some and then we can figure out what the hell we're gonna do tomorrow."

Kelly looked at her as if she'd just suggested skydiving. "What? It's almost ten-"

"And it'll _still_ be almost ten if we're just sitting around here." Jill insisted. "Come on, get up, get up!"

With a grumble, Sabrina got up to get her coat. Kelly didn't and Jill saw that she wasn't going to, either.

"You guys go," Kelly said quietly. "I'm gonna stick around here."

Jill sighed. "To do what? Watch the news?"

Kelly looked away. "No, not to watch the news."

"You're not gonna see anything on the news." Jill groaned. "Come on, it'll help clear your head."

"I don't need frozen yogurt to clear my head," Kelly said back. "Besides, the news is local. Mr. Jansen is the only one I lived with while I was here and someone's already gone and killed him. Nothing else for me to see."

"Leave her alone, Jill." Sabrina scolded gently, appearing from behind her. "I'll go with you to get your yogurt." She turned narrowed eyes on Kelly. "You're gonna stay here, aren't you?"

Kelly rolled her eyes. "I don't know, Bri. I hear the nightlife here is something everyone has to experience once."

"Smart ass." Sabrina swatted her shoulder but grabbed up her coat to leave.

Jill stared doubtfully at her friend. She wanted to talk to her, but Kelly probably just needed some time to herself to figure things out. Or think. Or make phone calls. Or whatever the hell she was doing. Surely she wouldn't get up to anything stupid in the forty-five minutes that they would be gone.

At least, she hoped not.

"We'll be back, Kell," Jill said brightly.

Kelly didn't look at her. The brooding had already started, it seemed. "Okay."

"Okay," Jill repeated. She shot Sabrina a knowing look, but Sabrina only shrugged.

"Been dealing with that all day." She whispered so Kelly wouldn't hear. "She won't talk about it, so I'm just staying out of her business. If you want my advice, you'll do the same thing."

Jill grabbed her coat and didn't say anything. So maybe Kelly _hadn't_ been hiding things as well as she'd originally thought she'd been. The realization was a disheartening one and Jill instantly wished she hadn't backed off so quickly.

But, Sabrina was right, of course. Leaving her alone was probably the best thing for them to do. Kelly would hash it out on her own until she was absolutely sure there was something going on. Then they could all deal with this together.

Until then, there was frozen yogurt to occupy her mind and soothe the day's failures away.

* * *

 _ **Thursday, November 11th**_

The next morning, Jill woke early and was pleased to see that Sabrina's bed was already empty. They had passed a bakery during their late night excursion and she had mentioned wanting to try it out for breakfast.

Or at least Jill hoped that's where she had gone.

She dressed for the day and then went to peek in the adjoining room to see if Kelly was awake yet. To her surprise, Kelly was up and dressed and perched on a corner of her bed, head bent over a familiar looking sheet of paper that she was holding in her hands.

Jill frowned. That stupid letter again.

She rapped her knuckles on the door and, as worried as she was about her best friend, had to stifle a laugh when Kelly flinched and nearly slid off of the bed. "Good morning!" She said cheerfully. "How are you feeling?"

"You scared me." Kelly accused quietly. She tossed the letter to her side and then stood. "And good morning yourself."

It may have been a feeble attempt to hide it, but there was no point in pretending that she hadn't seen the letter. At least no point that she could see. "You thinking about giving Helen a call?" Jill chanced.

She studied Kelly's reaction, gauging for that line that she always seemed to cross. Her question hadn't seemed to reach it just yet because Kelly didn't get defensive. In fact, Kelly didn't seem surprised at all by her curiosity. Maybe that was a good thing.

"That's why you brought it, right?" Jill asked again. "You want to call her?"

"No, not yet." Kelly sighed. She sat back down. "Just wondering what to make of all this."

Emboldened by Kelly's calm mood, Jill flounced over and sat down next to her. No point making her even more upset. "You don't have to make anything out of it yet. It looks bad, I know it does. But, there's still a chance that it's some weird…" She paused, sick to death of the word "coincidence". "…some weird _thing_. Why don't I help you make some calls before-"

"No," Kelly cut her off, giving her head a slight shake. "Not yet." She must have thought she had come across too harsh because she turned to Jill and offered up a weak smile. "Thanks though."

Jill sighed. "We'll find out what's going on soon, okay?"

"Yeah, soon," Kelly echoed, without much conviction. She rubbed her eyes and Jill couldn't help but notice that she probably hadn't slept well last night either. Sabrina had been right about Kelly pretending to be asleep when they arrived back at the hotel after their impromptu trip to the yogurt shop. The light to the room had been off and Kelly had been quiet, though neither she nor Sabrina had thought it necessary to enter the room to check. Instead, they opted to give Kelly her space and the two girls split the vanilla and strawberry yogurt cup they'd brought back for her and went to bed.

Jill had fallen silent but luckily, Kelly decided to keep talking.

"Bri left about twenty minutes ago," Kelly informed her. "She said she was going to go get breakfast from someplace. She seemed pretty excited about it. A little too excited if you ask me. Anyway, she should be back pretty soon."

Jill smiled, pleased both about Kelly speaking and the prospect of something to eat. "Yeah, we saw that place last night." She laughed. "We brought you back some yogurt but you were asleep, so we ate it."

Kelly chuckled. "That's okay. So what's the plan today?"

Before Jill could answer, the sound of the door opening and closing in the next room caught her attention. "Oh, there's Bri!" Jill said excitedly. She popped to her feet and took her friend's arm. "Come on, we can tell you while we eat."

Having no argument, Kelly rose and followed her into the next room where Sabrina was unloading foil-wrapped packages from a brown paper bag. There was coffee as well and it smelled just as good as whatever was within that foil.

Breakfast went by quickly. The food was excellent and all talk of today's activities were put on hold until everything had been consumed. It wasn't until the last foil wrapper had been wadded up and discarded did Sabrina wipe her hands and assume her "all business" stance.

"So, we were talking about the case last night while you were enjoying the _nightlife_." Sabrina began and Jill would have kicked her under the table if she were closer. Kelly's withdrawal was driving Sabrina crazy. She'd listened to Sabrina vent about it on the way to the yogurt shop the night before. "Leave her alone" had been Sabrina's advice before they'd left, but while her hot-headed friend was very protective of her friends and would be quick to come to Kelly's defense if _anyone else_ were harassing her, for some reason she didn't listen to her own advice. "I think it would be a good idea to let our fingers do the walking on this one."

If she caught the ribbing that Sabrina was giving her, Kelly paid no attention to it. "Okay. I like that idea."

"Me and Jill checked last night and there's not a whole lot of tailor or alteration places in town." Sabrina went on. "We could try dress stores too, maybe costume shops, dance groups-" She eyed Kelly for a moment. "-any other place you can think of that would need a seamstress?"

Kelly shrugged. "Not off the top of my head."

Sabrina stared at her a bit longer and then decided to move on. "Well, if you can think of anything, let us know. We wouldn't want to miss anything because we were careless." Jill tried to catch her eye to scold her, but Sabrina wouldn't look her way. She was terrible at hiding when she was annoyed and it was plain as day how she felt about how distant Kelly had been.

"I'll let you know," Kelly replied coldly.

Well, there went the hope that Kelly wouldn't notice Sabrina's picking. Jill finally caught Sabrina's eye, but to her great irritation, she only looked away.

 _Ugh_ , Jill thought to herself, it wasn't even eight in the morning yet and it was already starting with them. She argued with Kelly and Sabrina sometimes too, but their arguments seemed to be resolved much more quickly. She wasn't one to carry a grudge and she hated fighting with anyone she cared about so any spat between them, she quickly tried to resolve.

It was different when Sabrina and Kelly fought. She loved them both dearly, but their personalities, while an easy fit in good times, clashed horribly during the bad. Kelly needed to be left alone and Sabrina needed to hash things out. And despite being best friends for years it seemed neither could understand that about the other, so Kelly avoided and Sabrina picked and picked, little comments here, odd looks there until Kelly finally lost it and then they'd yell at each other for what felt like forever

Adding to that, they had hardly left each others' sight since arriving in San Francisco. Jill cringed, wondering if maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to volunteer for the one solo mission.

"Nothing is really going to be open for another hour or so," Sabrina added. "So, I guess we get to sit around until after nine, huh?"

Kelly took a long sip of her coffee. "I guess so. Maybe I can catch the news while we wait."

With that, she pushed herself up from the table and again disappeared into the next room.

Jill was only able to wait until she heard bed springs creak until she whirled on Sabrina. "You were the one that told _me_ to leave her alone!"

"What?" Sabrina said innocently. "I'm not doing-"

"Yes, you are!" Jill whispered harshly. "She's got a lot going on and you picking at her is making it worse."

"I'm _not_ picking at her." Sabrina sighed. "This whole thing… it's… come on, Jill, she's making herself crazy over this and it might be nothing but karma finally catching up to a few people. We don't even know what it is yet!"

Jill gave her a piteous look. "Four people in a week. You don't think that's something for her to concern herself with?"

"I didn't say it wasn't," Sabrina said back. "Yeah, it's a-"

"Don't say coincidence."

Sabrina glared at her. "It's… it's not a _normal_ thing. I'll give you that. And I know this is hard on her and I'm trying to help her, but she makes it _impossible_."

Jill heaved a big sigh. "I know, I know."

"Now, we have a senile old battle-ax who wandered off one day and two sets of murders that look like mob hits. What if that's all this is and we're all getting worked up for nothing when we have nothing to worry about?"

"And if there's more?" Jill challenged her.

"Okay, there's nothing to worry about right _now_. If there's more, then yes we'll worry." Sabrina said firmly. "I'll worry just as much as Kelly will. But until we know that, let's just get on with this case." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "I just hope that ex-wife of his and her boyfriend don't end up in the trunk of someone's car blocking traffic."

Jill shuddered. There was more she wanted to say about Kelly's situation, but it was best to let it go for now. The implication that Greg Samson was some kind of psychotic killer was disturbing enough. "Ugh, don't say that."

"Too late." Sabrina grumped.

Jill frowned. It was already plain as day that Kelly didn't care for Mr. Gregory Samson and she wondered if she and Sabrina had been sharing their misgivings about him with each other while they worked. It seemed like, in Kelly and Sabrina's eyes at least, he fell farther and farther from grace the longer they worked on his case.

"Well, if it gets too weird, we can always tell Charlie we aren't comfortable with him." Jill pointed out.

Sabrina didn't look entirely convinced. "Sure, we could."

Jill stared at her for a few moments. "We _could_. If it comes to it."

The only response she got from Sabrina was a doubtful shrug of her shoulders before she got up and wandered off towards the other room. Hopefully, to make peace with Kelly.

Jill stayed at the table to give them their space. She sat quietly, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable about everything. Charlie wouldn't have had them working for Gregory Samson if he was all that bad, would he?

She'd been trying to convince Sabrina, but suddenly she wasn't all that convinced herself.

* * *

By 1:00 that afternoon, the girls had called so many businesses between the three of them that they had lost count. After Jill hung up on the final phone number on her list, she stood up and gave a loud yawn.

Sabrina, having already finished her list a few minutes ago, was sitting in glum silence, looking just as tired and frustrated as Jill felt.

Jill crossed over and plopped down next to her on the bed. "Let me guess-" She said pleasantly, a direct contrast to how she felt. "-you've come up short?"

Sabrina blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Good guess." She replied. There was no effort to sound happy on her part, however. Her voice was just as defeated as the look on her face. "I tried to play cop with them. Most passed off to the manager, but still, no one fitting her description was hired recently."

"Hmm. Where have I heard _that_ before?" Jill replied coolly.

Sabrina thought for a moment. "So, either someone is lying or Ms. Rossi decided to go into another line of work."

"Could be," Jill muttered. "Or Dave Taylor makes enough money to support both of them."

" _And_ the kid," Sabrina added.

"And the kid," Jill repeated. "Who sits at home all day or got herself a job in a sweatshop making soccer balls, because she sure as hell doesn't go to any school in the city, public or private."

Sabrina finally cracked a smile. Hearing it out loud was just as ridiculous as it could have been. "Exactly. All of that."

"So are we ready to throw in the towel and call Charlie and tell him that Eva Rossi and Dave Taylor aren't here?"

Her sugary sweet tone made Sabrina smile again. "Oh, I think so." She replied with a bitter chuckle. "Let's see what Kelly comes up with when she's done."

Jill yawned again. "I'll go ask her if she's close."

"Oh, I'm close..." Came Kelly's voice as the door that separated the rooms pulled open. "I'm this close..." She lifted her hand, showing her index finger and thumb nearly pressed together. "To losing my mind."

Though she was still worried about her, Jill had to giggle, Kelly looked so flustered. She watched her friend enter the room and was surprised and a bit relieved that she chose to plop herself down next to Sabrina. They must have patched things up earlier because it didn't seem she had carried a grudge after all.

"So, you two didn't get anything?" Kelly asked with a sigh.

"I wouldn't say that. We got the brush off," Sabrina answered her, counting off on her fingers. "And put on hold, and annoyed, and frustrated…yeah, that's about what we got.

Kelly shook her head. "We're going about this the wrong way." She grumbled.

Jill looked her way, interest piqued. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, we should just pull some records from the county. She or the boyfriend have to be staying somewhere, don't they?" Kelly went on. "They have to be doing something for-"

"They might not be on record if they just got here." Sabrina pointed out.

Kelly only waved her off. "No, that's not what I meant. They had lives back in New York that they left behind. There's got to be someone who knows where they went. They had to have left a forwarding address or …or something. Maybe a former employer wrote a letter of recommendation or maybe someone is sending them their mail-" She fished for more examples but appeared to have run out. "What I'm saying is no one just disappears without _someone_ knowing where they went."

Sabrina and Jill were quiet for a moment, but they were both thinking. Jill mulled over what Kelly had said for a moment and realized that she was absolutely right. Maybe they should have been working backward. And they probably would have been working backward if Gregory Samson hadn't been so adamant that they had returned to San Francisco. It made perfect sense.

"I think you're right," Sabrina said finally, beating Jill to the punch. "And I think we're about done here. So what we need is to have another conversation with Greg Samson about their lives in New York."

Kelly scoffed. "Or just ask Charlie to pull up some records. I don't know about you but I don't want to go to New York in November. It gets cold over there."

She shuddered for good measure and the ridiculousness of it made Jill laugh out loud. "Do you think Charlie can get that for us?"

Kelly shot her a piteous look. "He's got to know _someone_ who can."

"I think that's a good idea," Sabrina said quietly. She leaned over Kelly and grabbed up the phone. "Well, I forgot the speaker at home, so-" She looked up with a grin as she started to dial. "-everyone, get close."


	10. Suspicious Minds

_**Friday, November 12th**_

Jill leaned back in her seat on the plane and closed her eyes.

Though it was a disappointment to be heading back to Los Angeles with nothing to show for it, it did feel good knowing that she was going home.

Breaking the news to Charlie had been surprisingly painless. No grilling questions, no further suggestions. He'd simply accepted their decision with a solemn finality. Afterward, he'd taken some notes from them with the promise of pulling strings to see if he could come up with the information that they wanted and then that seemed to be it. Charlie had arranged for a flight back a day earlier than anticipated and now here they were, heading home.

They would be meeting with Greg Samson again in the morning, Charlie had called back to inform them about half an hour before they left for the airport. Apparently, Greg had taken the news rather well. He had some more ideas to give them and, all in all, seemed quite eager to begin their search anew in his hometown of New York City if it came to it.

 _If_ it came to it.

Jill hoped it wouldn't.

Not because she didn't want to go to New York, and she most certainly didn't, but because she found herself wanting a few days off to help Kelly investigate into whatever the hell was going on.

Kelly, though she did seem to be relieved to be heading home, was just as distant and distracted as ever. Jill frowned as she thought of the last conversation they'd had. Despite some cautious pressing, Kelly remained tight-lipped about her situation and Jill couldn't help but feel that she and Sabrina had both been permanently shut out of whatever was going on with her. It would be up to Kelly to decide whether or not she wanted to let them in and the uncertainty and helplessness were driving Jill crazy.

It still might be nothing, mere coincidence as Sabrina kept trying to tell herself, but Jill had a sick feeling in her gut that it wasn't. And on top of that, there was that damn letter.

Yesterday morning hadn't just been a random moment of thoughtfulness. She'd thought the matter resolved on the plane ride over, but later that evening, she'd caught Kelly secretly studying it again, sitting quietly with whatever thoughts were in her head. This time, Jill had decided to leave her alone.

Kelly either had a plan or was secretly coming up with one, but she wasn't about to let either her or Sabrina in on it yet.

Jill shrugged off her uneasiness and glanced over towards her friends. Kelly was busily staring at clouds- she had the coveted window seat this time- and Jill was stuck in the aisle. Sabrina was awake, surprisingly, though she seemed completely engrossed in the crossword puzzle or whatever it was that she had chosen to occupy their short flight with. Jill decided to leave them both alone. Kelly was brooding and she was no good at word puzzles anyway. They usually left her with a headache and an inferiority complex. She had no clue how Sabrina found them fun, but this past week had really hammered home that there was a lot about both of her best friends that she'd never understand.

With nothing to do, this time Jill nominated herself to be the one that fell asleep.

Thirty minutes later, she opened her eyes as Sabrina shook her awake. Instead of refreshed and energized, like Sabrina had been after her in-flight nap, _her_ nap left her groggy and disoriented. She found herself walking in a daze while they picked up their baggage and hopped into a car that took them to Sabrina's apartment. She might have offered to stay with Kelly tonight and get another crack getting her to open up, but she found herself so sleepy that the only thing she wanted to do was to get home to her beach house, pull the shades and sleep until it was time for their meeting with Charlie and Greg. Kelly would be alright, she told herself a bit guiltily. She probably needed a good night's sleep too, probably more than any of them.

Things would look better in the morning.

* * *

 _ **Saturday, November 13th**_

By 10:00 the next morning, Jill felt almost certain that she had been right.

The three of them managed to beat Bosley and Greg to the office and were sitting around, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere while they could.

Getting to bed early had been exactly what she needed, Jill mused as she stretched out on the couch. She felt pretty good this morning. Kelly and Sabrina both looked pretty alert as well as if they'd actually gotten some rest the previous night and that made Jill breathe a sigh of relief.

The decision to continue the search for Eva Rossi, Dave Taylor, and Michelle Samson in New York seemed to be a promising one to everyone and Jill dared to let herself feel hopeful once more. On top of that, Bosley had put on some strong coffee and arranged some snacks for them before he left and once Greg went back to his hotel, they had plans for a nice lunch together.

After a bleak couple of days, things were finally looking up.

Jill was still in a good mood when mens' laughter floated into the room from outside. She propped herself up on the couch just in time for the door to open. Bosley entered first, still laughing uproariously over something.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Sabrina asked jokingly from behind the bar where she'd busied herself pouring some coffee.

Bosley was wiping his eyes. "Oh, oh nothing." He said. He swung the door open wide and Gregory Samson stepped into the room, a big jovial smile on his face.

"Your colleague is very amusing." Greg Samson greeted them. Bosley took his coat and Greg headed purposely to where Jill and Kelly were sitting.

"Ladies-" He said, his voice like warm butter, just as smooth and charming as Jill remembered it being. She thought back to the uneasy, distrusting thoughts she'd had about him over the past week and could practically feel them melting away. Seeing him now, in the light of day, she felt almost silly for entertaining them. This man _couldn't_ be whatever Sabrina and Kelly thought he was, she told herself and felt a surge of reassurance about his case. Her friends' negative opinions had been getting the best of her all week long, riling her up into just as much a paranoid mess as Kelly was.

He took the polite handshake Jill offered him and surprised her by pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. His lips were warm and she could feel the slight stubble above them. She couldn't remember the last time a man had kissed her hand. "It's good to see you again." He released Jill's hand and reached for Kelly, who was very clearly torn between remaining polite and letting Greg kiss her. Jill watched in amusement as she cleverly ended the handshake by patting Greg's hand with her free one and then slipping away right as he was about to raise her hand to his lips.

Luckily, he didn't seem to dwell on it.

He cleared his throat and leaned himself against the arm of the couch closest to Jill. "I want to apologize for sending you on what appears to have been a wild goose chase." Greg started with a slight frown.

Sabrina stepped out from behind the bar with two cups of coffee, one of which she held out for Bosley to take. "Well, we're no stranger to wild goose chases, believe me."

Greg took her hand to shake it as she spoke and, not a man to give up easily, tried to kiss it as well. Before he could, however, she pushed the remaining cup of coffee towards him. He took it awkwardly and Sabrina danced away, leaving Greg one for three.

Boy, her two friends _really_ didn't care for Greg Samson, Jill noted, a bit guiltily. She turned to Kelly, but Sabrina's awkward looking coffee trick had tickled her apparently because she was laughing silently behind her coffee cup. Luckily, both mens' attention was fixed on Sabrina at the moment.

"I still wasted your time," Greg continued to apologize, coolly brushing off the rejection. "Though I suppose we can cross San Francisco off the list." He shook his head and slid down into the couch next to Jill, much to her delight. "I was so certain that they would be there. Eva, smart as she was, always gravitated toward the familiar."

Jill scooted a bit toward him and gave him a comforting pat on the knee. Kelly was done with her giggles now. She was giving her a hard look from the other couch, Jill could almost feel it, but chose not to acknowledge it. Kelly had been driving her crazy all week, after all. It was time to turn the tables a bit. Might as well have a little fun after a bad week.

"Then hopefully she hasn't gravitated too far away from New York City," Jill said sweetly.

Greg's gaze flitted to the hand on his knee and then back up as if he was trying not to notice. He took a sip of his coffee. "Let's hope so."

Pleasantries now over with, Bosley cleared his throat. "Well, why don't I get Charlie on the phone and we can discuss our next move. Shall we?"

"We shall, John," Greg said, raising his mug of coffee towards him.

"Careful, it's hot."

Ah, she'd heard that tone before. Jill turned and grinned innocently up at Kelly, who had gotten up to help Sabrina dole out the remaining cups of coffee. She was holding a cup out to her and the look on her face was one Jill had seen before as well.

Too many times.

"Be careful," Kelly said again, her green eyes burning holes in her. Jill knew exactly what that look was for, but, because she was having some fun, decided to play dumb.

Her grin widened as she took the cup. "I got it, thanks." She sang. "And don't worry, I'm _always_ careful."

The most forced grin Jill had ever seen crossed Kelly's face. "Just making sure you don't burn yourself." She sang back sweetly, before retreating to the opposite couch with Sabrina.

Jill followed her with her eyes, still feeling pretty pleased with herself. She was a grown woman, she could engage in some harmless flirting if she wanted to, couldn't she? And if she was getting paid for it, wasn't that all the better?

She glanced towards Greg Samson and saw that his gaze was now fixed on Kelly, sipping her coffee moodily opposite them. Jill's grin melted away and she felt a bit embarrassed. She'd overdone it. He must have caught on to Kelly's tone and was probably wondering what she was on about.

Oh well, there was nothing to be done about it now.

"Good morning, everyone."

The familiar voice ripped Jill's attention away from Greg and redirected it towards the squawk box sitting on Bosley's desk. She didn't even remember Bosley actually dialing, she realized with a start, and her cheeks flushed just a bit warmer. Maybe it was time to start paying a bit closer attention to things other than who or what Gregory Samson was looking at.

She managed to catch up in time to join everyone's cheerful "Good morning" chorus.

"How are you holding up, Greg?" Charlie asked politely.

If Greg thought it at all odd to be talking to a squawk box, he was able to keep his feelings to himself. "As one might expect me to be." He answered, pleasantly enough. "A bit disappointed, if I'm honest. I was sure they would be in San Francisco. I would have bet money on it."

"Then it's a good thing you didn't," Charlie lamented. "But, don't give up hope just yet. I hear we have a new plan of action."

"That's right, Charlie," Bosley cut in from his perch on the arm of Sabrina and Kelly's couch. "Greg, the girls and yours truly all think that it would be a better idea to fly out to New York and…well, follow the trail from there."

"Hmm. If they left a trail." Sabrina added.

Charlie agreed. "If they left a trail." He echoed. "I'm calling in a few favors with someone who can help us. If we can work backward, find out exactly where they started, then it's possible we can find out where they headed and get your money back."

Greg nodded absently. "And my daughter."

"And your daughter," Charlie repeated again. "I should have that information to you by this afternoon, depending on how lucky my contact gets."

"Who is this contact?" Kelly asked. Her voice still sounded sullen and moody. Jill had to wonder if it was because of her harmless flirtation with Greg Samson, or because of Greg Samson himself. Kelly didn't like him one bit, she'd made that more than clear.

There was a low chuckle in response to her question. "An old friend of mine from the war," Charlie explained. "I won't go into details, but I will say he is an important man and …well, there isn't a great deal of things that an important man can't ask for. He can find housing records, tax records, employment, anything at all. If there's any information to be gotten, he'll get it."

That must have satisfied Kelly, because she didn't respond any further. Instead, to Jill's surprise, it was Greg who had the next comment.

"Tax records, you say?" He asked and Jill felt her stomach seize up. That was the first thing she had ever heard him say that wasn't absolutely dripping in self-confidence.

"That's right, Greg," Charlie replied. "There's always a paper trail. If you know how to follow it, that is. And I trust my contact knows how to follow it."

Greg nodded and an uneasy glance around the room told Jill that she wasn't the only one who had spotted his sudden nervousness. "That's very…very impressive, Mr. Townsend. Friends in high places."

Charlie chuckled again. "High places, indeed." He couldn't see Greg but Jill wondered if Charlie could hear his odd tone through the phone. Even Bosley had caught on. He, Sabrina, and Kelly were all staring at Greg, the same quietly concerned expression on their faces. "What we'll need from you then, is anything you can tell us about your ex-wife's life back in New York. New York City is quite a bit larger than San Francisco, so we'll need anything you can give us. Her address, place of employment, any hangouts, friends she may have had, anything you can tell us to make it easier to find her."

"Yes, I can…I can most certainly help with that." Greg replied. He cleared his throat and just like that he was back to being the charming, confident man with the smooth voice that Jill had met at the Chinese restaurant. "She… well, she moved around a great deal after we broke up. She may have moved in with her boyfriend at some point."

"Dave Taylor?" Sabrina asked.

Greg nodded. "That's the gentleman," He raised an eyebrow. "And I do use that term loosely. They lived in a place called Crest's Landing in the Lower East Side the last I heard. I wouldn't know the apartment number. We weren't exactly mailing each other Christmas cards if you catch my drift."

"I think we do," Charlie replied. Jill could hear the furious scratching of his pen as he jotted down what Greg had told them. "Where did she work?"

Greg shook his head. "I'll say again that after our break up, Eva stayed as far away from me as she could. I was able to check in on her through some friends of mine but I never pried. I kept our joint bank account so she could use it when she needed it and I kept her name on all of my accounts. I wanted to support my daughter no matter how much her mother hated me."

"That's… admirable," Bosley chimed in.

"She probably didn't see it that way," Greg went on. "She didn't touch the money very often until…well until she did what she did. She never stayed in one place very long. The last place I heard she was doing some seamstress work with a ballet company."

Jill perked up. "The New York City Ballet?"

The look on Greg's face told her the answer before his words did. "No, that…that would be a bit too high profile for her. It was a smaller company. I don't know which one. She would make costumes for the dancers, sometimes work on set pieces, that sort of thing. I don't know, I'm not exactly the artsy type."

"Well, where did Dave Taylor work?" Jill pressed. "He was an accountant, right?" There had to be something concrete to go on.

Greg smiled. "He was an accountant. That's all I really know. I didn't waste my time looking him up. I don't know where he worked."

"Do you know where your daughter went to school?" Kelly asked him.

Again, the look on Greg's face told the story before he could. "No. Eva …well, let's say I wasn't invited to be on the PTA board or anything like that. I watched my daughter from afar, Ms. Garrett. I didn't get to see her grow up, I didn't get to go to school plays, I didn't get to do any of that. I didn't get to be her father. But I knew she was taken care of, that much I could do for her." His voice cracked and he abruptly stopped talking.

Jill felt her heart go out to him. Behind that wall of brashness and arrogance, Greg really did seem to be a decent man. She leaned over and patted his leg. "It wasn't your choice." She tried to reassure him. "And there's a chance you'll get to see her after all of this is over."

Greg was composed by now. He cleared his throat. "I have to believe that."

Jill smiled warmly at him. But before she could continue to comfort him, Sabrina spoke up and took his attention away. "Can you think of anything else for us to go on?"

Greg mulled over her question for a moment before pursing his lips.

Jill scooted closer. "Anything you can give us will help, Mr. Samson." She added helpfully.

"Please, call me Greg, my dear." He told her, forcing a smile. Jill felt her stomach flutter at his term of endearment. The vulnerability was gone now from both his face and his voice. He was back to his charming self. "And again, I respected my ex-wife's wishes and I stayed out of their lives. Oh, I checked in periodically, never myself, always through someone else that I sent to…to look in on them. But, she wanted me out of her life and I was afraid that if I pushed-". He paused for a moment and then gave them a sad smile. "Well…that she would do exactly what she just did. Knowing that I was providing for my daughter was all that kept me together."

The girls and Bosley shared a quick look. It wasn't much to go on.

"Again, there's a chance my contact will find us something more…substantial to go on." Charlie's voice crackled through the box. "If you don't mind, Greg, we'll give it a day or so before the girls head up there. We'll need leads for them to follow or else they'll be in the Big Apple chasing their tails and that's not the best use of company time."

"No, I understand," Greg Samson said, almost sounding relieved.

"There's not anything else you can tell us?" Kelly asked. "You mentioned your ex-wife had a big Italian family?"

Greg laughed. "She was an only child. I know she had a big family, but the only people I had much contact with was her parents."

"And their names are?" Sabrina asked, pen poised.

"Maria and Alessandro Rossi," Greg answered. "Her dad passed while we were married. I don't know what her mother did after our divorce. She could have remarried, left New York City, I'm not sure. I suppose if you could find her, she might know where Eva is. But, I doubt she'd tell you. Her family wouldn't help anyone find her, I can guarantee that much."

Sabrina looked up and Jill could see the irritation on her face. "What about friends? Any close friends?"

"Her friends? Well, she had a girlfriend named Phyllis that she would mention. I think she worked with her, I can't be certain, it's been a long time."

Sabrina was jotting this down. "Phyllis what?"

"Phyllis is all I know," Greg replied. "I'm sorry."

"And this Phyllis is a seamstress as well?" Sabrina asked, trying her level best to hide a disappointed sigh.

Greg shrugged helplessly. "I wish I could tell you. Maybe."

Even though she didn't want to admit it to herself, Jill couldn't help but notice just how unbelievably unhelpful Greg was being. "What about Dave Taylor?" She asked. "Friends or family? I'm pretty good at hunting down Taylors."

"Dave Taylor I know even less about," Greg admitted. "I'm sorry. Like I said, I respected her privacy." He gave a helpless shrug. "I was so sure they were in San Francisco."

The room was silent for a moment before Bosley cleared his throat. "So…as of right now, we know that Eva Rossi _does_ have family in New York, though they may not be helpful-"

"Intentionally, anyway," Kelly muttered.

"Well, yes-" Bosley said uncomfortably. "-perhaps, they could be unintentionally helpful, there's no saying."

"Hmm. Perhaps." Greg agreed thoughtfully.

"So, a possibly unintentionally helpful family, a friend named Phyllis who may or may not be a seamstress for a ballet company that _isn't_ the New York City Ballet that we could also look into and an apartment called Crest's Landing on the Lower East Side." Bosley continued.

"And whatever Charlie manages to pull up," Sabrina added. "That might be helpful too."

Greg nodded solemnly. "Yes, it might be."

Charlie cleared his throat. "Well, Greg, if there's anything else you can think of to help us pinpoint their starting location, you'll let us know, won't you?"

"Oh, yes." Greg agreed readily. "You can count on that."

"Well, if there's nothing else, I have a pressing engagement to attend to." Charlie went on. Jill was the only one who snickered, but luckily he either didn't hear her or didn't acknowledge it. She quickly covered it with a small cough, wondering in amusement just what engagement he would be pressing himself up against as soon as he hung up the phone. "John, can you handle the rest of our affairs?"

"I think I can do that." Bosley piped up.

"Excellent. I'll be in touch with you as soon as I hear back from my contact. Good luck."

"Thank you, Charlie," Jill said sweetly.

She heard his audible chuckle before the line went dead. Bosley hopped up off the couch, flipped off the speaker and then leaned back against the desk.

"Don't worry, the favors he calls in tend to be honored pretty quickly. He'll find them." Bosley assured Greg, a confident smirk on his face.

There was an odd look on Greg's face and, remembering his earlier nervousness, Jill wondered just what was making him so uncomfortable. Whatever it was, it must have something to do with whatever situation was awaiting them in New York City.

Still, he smiled. "I think so. I've got a good feeling about this, Mr. Bosley."

* * *

Greg foiled their lunch plans by suddenly needing a lift back to his hotel room.

Bosley offered to drive him and, with a quick promise over his shoulder to bring back some lunch, they left the girls alone in the office to come up with any ideas they could as they awaited Charlie's call.

Jill gave a little yawn as she lay back against the sofa, passing the time by pretending to read one of the magazines they kept in a box behind Bosley's desk. The two men had only been gone a few minutes and Jill could practically swim in the quiet tension between herself and her two friends. Greg's odd behavior was the giant dancing pink elephant in the room and as she swept her eyes disinterestedly through her magazine, she was determined that she wouldn't be the one to bring it up first.

Apparently, Kelly and Sabrina were thinking the same thing because it was a good fifteen minutes of sparse small talk, pillow adjusting, pretend reading, and coffee sipping until finally one of them cracked.

To absolutely no surprise at all, it was Kelly.

She set her coffee mug down on the table with a heavy thud. "So neither of you are going to say _anything_ about how shifty that guy was acting?" She blurted out.

Finally.

" _Thank you!_ " Sabrina sighed loudly, popping out from behind the bar. "I didn't want to seem like the negative Nancy."

"It's hard _not_ to be," Kelly went on. She turned her stare towards Jill. "Come on, Jill. You had to have noticed it too."

Jill, though quietly thrilled that she could finally talk about it, decided to play it cool. No need to invite any additional ribbing for changing her mind about Greg. "He did seem a little nervous." She allowed herself.

Sabrina blew a raspberry. "Yeah, nervous." She echoed disdainfully.

"Is it just me or does he act like he doesn't really want to find out anything?" Kelly muttered after a few moments of quiet. She looked up and fixed a stern glare at Jill. "Except for maybe what's under your bra."

"If she's wearing one," Sabrina muttered from behind the bar.

It looked like her behavior earlier wasn't going to go unpunished after all. "Hey," Jill warned. "First of all, yes, I am. Not that its any of your business." She paused. "Or his. And second, all I did was sit next to him!"

Kelly scoffed. "If you were sitting any closer to him, he'd need a cigarette."

Jill looked at both of her friends in disbelief. All of that just for sitting next to the guy?!

What was a girl to do?!

"Okay, so he didn't have all that much information, I mean is that a surprise?" Jill argued, surprising herself by how irritated she was getting. And just why in the hell she was jumping to defend him, anyway? Hot or not, she _knew_ he had been acting strangely. Still, for some reason, she didn't want to give in. "He said his wife cut him off after the divorce. That doesn't seem weird."

"No, it doesn't." Sabrina agreed and for just the shortest of instances, Jill thought she might have an ally. Instead, Sabrina kept talking. "But, you saw how weird he got once Charlie mentioned looking up records."

"I noticed that too," Kelly added. "Tax records, specifically. Why do you suppose a man like him would get nervous once someone starts digging up tax records?" Again she fixed her green eyes on Jill. "Any idea, _my dear?_ "

Jill felt her face flush. It _was_ strange he had called her that, but he had also called Kelly "sweetheart" during their first meeting. Bringing it up would seem a little desperate on her part though. It was too long ago to use as fuel so she decided to ignore it all together and bring her focus elsewhere. "So he might have something to hide." She admitted. "Doesn't mean he deserves to get stolen from and have his kid taken away."

"I just think it's weird that he's not being more helpful," Kelly went on. "It's like pulling teeth getting him to give us anything. You'd think he'd have a few more ideas."

Sabrina looked thoughtful. "You would think."

The girls lapsed into a tense silence for a few moments before Kelly suddenly popped to her feet. She usually couldn't sit still for very long on a normal day, and right now she was even more on edge than she had been before their meeting. "All this waiting around is making me crazy." She said, validating Jill's guess. "We don't even have notes to go through. We don't …well, we don't have _anything_ to do but sit here and wait around and I'm sick of it."

Jill watched as she grabbed up her things and slung her purse strap over her shoulder. "You going somewhere?"

"Yeah," Kelly said shortly. "I'm gonna take care of some things at home."

Jill shared a quick look with Sabrina. "Oh. Do you want us to help? I can-"

"No." Kelly cut her off. "It's okay. Call me if Charlie gets back to us."

There was no point in trying to get her to stay and even less of a point in trying to accompany her, Jill realized dejectedly. She had a pretty good idea of what things Kelly planned to take care of at home alone. If she wanted some emotional support, she would have shown it. No, it was better to let her take care of research in the privacy of her own home and then deal with the aftermath later.

If any.

There was the off chance this was all a weird coincidence, after all, she tried feebly to convince herself.

It didn't work.

Jill waited until the door clicked firmly shut before turning to Sabrina, a knowing look in her eye.

"Who do you think she's gonna go call?" Sabrina muttered to herself. "Somehow, I don't see her calling up her old foster parents and shooting the breeze with them to find out if they're still alive."

"I don't either," Jill sighed. "I guess she has a plan. If she wanted us to know, she'd have told us."

Sabrina raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "I guess so."

"Maybe she'll be back in a couple hours," Jill said doubtfully.

The look she got in response her told her that Sabrina believed that just as much as she did. She took a sip of her coffee and shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe."


	11. Sitting Ducks

By 6:00 that evening, Charlie still hadn't called and Jill was about to go bananas with boredom.

Normally, she could sit still even less time than Kelly could, but because their preoccupied friend had left them, she'd been determined to wait Charlie out and keep Sabrina company. But as the hours ticked by, it had gotten harder and harder to justify waiting around in the quiet office.

Something had come up, Bosley called to tell them a couple hours after leaving with Greg, and he wouldn't be able to bring back any lunch. So driven mostly by hunger, she was able to convince Sabrina to leave the office for a few minutes around 1:30 to get a bite to eat. A quick call to Bosley when they returned told them they hadn't missed anything on their little excursion. He hadn't heard from Charlie either, nor had he been able to get him to answer the phone.

That was the last they'd heard from Bosley. Now, _he_ wasn't answering his phone either.

It was getting a bit ridiculous to be sitting around the office all night and so, with plans to meet back first thing in the morning, Jill and Sabrina parted ways to go get some much-needed rest at home.

It was after 7:30 by the time Jill finally stepped inside her house. She checked her messages and found one from Bosley, apologizing for not calling sooner and telling her to meet at the office tomorrow morning at nine. Tired and frustrated, she took a long and very logical bath, had a hot cup of tea and parked herself on her couch for an evening of mindless TV.

The program that had been tentatively holding Jill's attention for the better part of an hour ended and was replaced by what looked by the opening credits to be some low budget creature feature.

"Ugh," Jill grumbled, but too tired to get up to change the channel, she instead stretched her body out on the couch and closed her eyes.

The movie kept playing, but other than cheesy music and scraps of dialogue, Jill was able to mostly tune it out. She lay quietly, focusing on hearing the waves crashing on the beach outside her window. It was a comforting sound, relaxing and peaceful, and sometimes it was just enough to distract her from what was bothering her.

Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those times.

She couldn't pinpoint what was bugging her more: Greg Samson or Kelly. Both were worrisome, though there was only one that she could do anything about.

There was a fleeting thought to give Kelly a call and see how she was doing, but Jill decided against it. It was after 10:30. There was no point in bothering Kelly this late and especially not if she was asleep.

She shut her eyes and tried to relax.

A few seconds later, someone unfortunate enough to encounter whatever monster the creature feature was starring gave off a shrill scream that startled Jill's eyes open. Irritated, she glanced at the TV, realized that's all it was and closed her eyes again.

If only the ocean was louder.

Or the TV was closer so she could turn it off without getting up.

She concentrated again and picked up on the comforting sound of the beach, hoping it would drown out the TV.

It did after a while and, without meaning to, Jill let her eyes stay closed a bit longer than she meant to. The ocean succeeded in drowning out the late movie, but it was most certainly not loud enough to drown out the sudden shrieking jangle of the telephone a foot and a half away from her head.

With a startled yelp, Jill shot up, a hand pressed to her heart as if to keep it from bursting out of her chest.

"Holy shit," She breathed. Her blue eyes darted around her living room, frantic and disoriented. What the hell time was it?!

The phone rang again. Cursing to herself, she lurched over the pile of cushions she'd been laying on and yanked up the receiver. For a split second, she fully intended to slam it right back down to hang up on whoever had scared her, but all at once her brain caught up with the rest of her.

It was Kelly, she knew immediately. Something was wrong.

Frightened now, she pressed the receiver to her ear.

"Kelly?" She called urgently.

"What? No, it's not Kelly, it's me."

Within a single word from her caller, Jill knew she was both right and wrong. No, it wasn't Kelly calling her, but yes, something _was_ wrong.

Jill sighed and fell back against her pillows. "Bri. You scared the shit out of me. What's wrong?"

"Um…well. A lot, I think." Sabrina answered her cryptically. Her voice was tight with worry.

Jill couldn't have been more infuriated by that response. "What do you mean? What's going on?" She looked around her living room again. It was dark outside, but she could see enough of her clock to know that several hours had passed since she shut her eyes. "And what…what time is it?"

"It's almost two. Listen, Bos just called. Said Charlie told him to get us together." Sabrina paused for a moment. "And what the hell are you watching? Turn it off, I can barely hear you."

Swearing under her breath, Jill pushed herself off the couch and hurriedly crossed her living room to turn off the TV. The creature feature that had been on earlier had ended and another one, louder and with even less of a budget, had taken its place. "Did he say why?" Jill asked and didn't care how much frustration she was letting out in her voice. "What the hell is goin-"

"No, he didn't say _why,_ " Sabrina huffed. "I'd kind of like to know that myself. He said not to go to the office, that it might not be safe. So, ya know, I don't think it's exactly a _tea party_ we've been invited to here."

"Oh, shit," Jill groaned. This was starting to turn into one of those times where her bad feeling turned out to be completely justified. It was not something she was happy being right about. "Where, then?"

"My place. Come in through the side entrance where no one can see you if they're watching the front. Pick up Kelly at the street behind her house. Cardiff Lane. At the stop sign."

There was entirely too much shit happening at once. Jill pulled a face. "The stop sign? What the hell for-"

"Just _do_ it, Jill." Sabrina snapped irritably. "Bos said it shouldn't look like we're all headed someplace together. Him and Kelly are sneaking out. Bos is catching a cab and you're picking up Kelly. If someone is watching our places they'll only see you leave."

Jill blinked. "And they'll see me go to your place."

"Not if you come in the side entrance of the garage," Sabrina clarified.

"Are you kidding me?" Jill grumbled. "That's the stup-"

"I _know_ it is. But that's what Bos says." Sabrina cut her off. "Be careful and keep an eye out for someone following you. Don't go by Kelly's if you get a tail. Call me here."

Jill did her best not to lose it with her over the phone. She took a deep breath. "Fine. See you in an hour."

"Be careful. Bye."

With that, Sabrina hung up leaving the loud dial tone to assault Jill's eardrum. Disgusted and frightened, she slammed the receiver down and buried her face in her hands. She'd been awake a little over a minute now, she guessed. _Jesus Christ_ , what a night this was shaping up to be.

But when duty called, duty called.

She dressed quickly in the dark, grabbed her keys and headed out into the night.

* * *

 _ **Sunday, November 14th (but just barely)**_

It was nearly 2:45 in the morning when Jill finally reached Kelly's neighborhood.

It had been a nerve-wracking drive, to say the least. Jill squinted her eyes to make out the street signs in the darkness. After the first couple of trips to Kelly's house, she'd stopped paying attention to the street names around it. She knew Kelly's street by heart and it felt odd when she took a right onto the one before it. Cardiff, the sign read. That had to be it.

She slowed down and coasted down the quiet, empty street, feeling very much like a slow-moving target.

Sabrina's call had left her on edge.

She'd taken a good look around as she left her house earlier and, aside from a stray dog with a gross dead fish in its mouth, she'd been the only soul on the beach. No random strangers suspiciously loitering about or unfamiliar cars parked nearby, but she was on edge nonetheless. The entire drive over had been spent looking over her shoulder, not knowing exactly what it was that she was expecting to find, but dreading it all the same.

That paranoia still hadn't left her by the time she neared Kelly's neighborhood.

And here she was now, driving slowly, purposefully down the street, lighting up one house after another with her headlights and looking for all the world like she was casing the neighborhood for a break-in.

Jill groaned. If anyone looked out their window and saw her, they'd definitely be calling the police.

Up ahead a stop sign approached and Jill slowed down even more. She wasn't sure if Kelly had hopped a few fences or walked around the block, but she had to be around here somewhere.

"Where the hell are you?" Jill muttered to herself as she studied the dark neighborhood street in front of her. Her tires crunched slowly over the asphalt. It must have been trash day today- yesterday, she reminded herself nervously- because several houses still had a metal trash can in front of them that reflected the light from her headlights. She could see parked cars, mailboxes, empty lawns, sidewalks, darkened windows, even a stray cat perched on top of a truck, but just where in the hell-

And then there she was.

She would have taken Kelly for a kid the way she looked in the dark, standing partially hidden beside an especially tall and thick tree. Her thin shadowy form disappeared behind the tree for a moment before apparently recognizing Jill's car and stepping out from hiding.

That was her, wasn't it? Jill suddenly wondered in her paranoia. She didn't speed up and, to her relief, that hooded shadowy form slowly illuminated and revealed itself more and more to be Kelly the closer Jill got. By the time she had idled her car, Kelly – and it was definitely Kelly- had stepped out to the sidewalk.

She got in immediately and even though it was dark, Jill could see that she hadn't been sleeping when Sabrina called. There was absolutely something wrong and Jill had a feeling that it had nothing to do with whatever they were going to find out at Sabrina's apartment.

Jill waited until she had turned back onto the main street before greeting her friend. "Hey, you okay? You didn't see anyone watching us, did you?"

"No," Kelly said tersely, pushing the hood of her jacket off of her head.

"Do you know anything more about what's going on than I do?" Jill chanced. "Cause I have no clue what's wrong?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Kelly answered her. "That makes two of us then." She said simply.

"Are you alright?" Jill asked nervously.

Kelly took a deep breath and finally looked at her. "Yeah. Except for whatever this is."

Jill felt a cold chill run through her.

Kelly was lying. She was definitely _not_ okay. Jill made herself look back at the road, but she recognized that look in Kelly's eyes and she recognized the wavering in her voice. Once, years ago, she and Kelly were unfortunate enough to get stuck in a tiny mall elevator together. She'd always known Kelly was claustrophobic, but this was the first time she'd actually witnessed one of her anxiety attacks. It had taken nearly twenty minutes to calm her down and by the time she had, she- along with the poor woman who had been with them- was just as freaked out as Kelly. It had been just awful and she'd always remember the panic-stricken look in her eyes.

That panicky look in her eyes right now was a chilling reminder of that day.

"Were you able to call up some of -"

"We'll deal with that later," Kelly clipped off her question and Jill knew best to just shut up and focus on whatever was going on.

The girls drove in tense silence, both looking about to make sure they weren't being followed.

They appeared to be alone. The roads were mostly empty and the lack of traffic allowed them to get to Sabrina's without much of a hassle. It was just past 3:00 when Jill finally turned into the parking garage to Sabrina's apartment complex. Again it felt odd to be approaching a familiar place from an unfamiliar route. She usually came through the front entrance whenever she visited Sabrina, but once inside there wasn't a difference at all and she parked as close to the entrance as she could. The Cobra idled for a moment in the garage, the only sound Jill could hear for the moment, as she surveyed their surroundings.

"Do you see anyone?" Jill asked in a terse whisper.

"No," Kelly responded after moment, not bothering to whisper.

"Let's just keep an eye out, okay?" Jill continued in the same low voice. She turned off her car and listened a moment longer, gazing nervously out into the gloomy darkness of Sabrina's parking garage.

A rustling behind her startled her, but it was only Kelly, reaching for the door handle. "There's no one there, Jill." She told her irritably. "Come on."

Jill rolled her eyes. Hadn't Sabrina been just as mysterious and paranoia-inducing when she talked to Kelly? Kelly was already getting out of the car and so Jill followed, cringing at how loud the sound of her door closing sounded in the darkness.

Even if Kelly wasn't afraid, both girls still walked quickly to the nearest garage elevator and rode it in silence to the main floor. When the double doors opened- with the loudest "ding!" imaginable- they found themselves in the familiar, if equally quiet and empty hallway that lead to the apartment building's entrance. Sabrina lived on the second highest story and so a set of much nicer elevator doors awaited them.

Though Jill didn't want to admit it, it seemed a relief when she and Kelly were safe inside the building's elevator and on their way to the fourteenth floor (really, the thirteenth. Jill never did understand why old superstitions still existed today). Thankfully, this elevator didn't "ding" their arrival and the girls were able to quietly make their way through the little lobby and straight to Sabrina's door.

It opened when they were halfway down the hall and Sabrina's head poked out, her face looking just as anxious and worried as Jill felt.

"Hurry up," She greeted them, waving them frantically toward her.

It felt safe enough to break into a light jog and Jill did so, snatching Kelly's arm to pull her along. Sabrina closed the door and locked it behind them and, finally, they were safe inside.

"So what the hell is going on?" Jill asked, while Sabrina loitered at the door, staring through the peephole.

"For the love of God, Bri," Kelly groaned. Despite a verbal protest, she pulled Sabrina away and spun her around to face them. "Tell us what's going on!"

Sabrina shoved Kelly's hand off of her and, annoyed, smoothed out the pajama top that Kelly had wrinkled. "I told you, I don't know."

"Well, where's Bos?" Kelly balked.

"He isn't here yet." Sabrina sighed.

Kelly only shook her head. "This better be good."

"Well, I guess we won't know until-"

Jill's words turned into a little shriek of surprise when three loud, sharp knocks sounded right behind her. Sabrina was at the door before she could even turn around.

"Calm down, it's just Bos," She said, peeking through the peephole again.

Just Bosley. Jill breathed her relief as Sabrina quickly unlocked the door.

"What took you so long?" She greeted as a very unkempt and frazzled Bosley hurried into the room.

Bosley narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you know how hard it is to get a cab at 2:30 in the morning?"

Sabrina finished dead-bolting her door and turned. "Yes, I do. Do you know how hard it is to wait around when you don't know what's going on?"

Bosley sighed dramatically. "Yes, as a matter of fact I _do_."

"So what's going on?!" Kelly cried, looking like she was about to lose her mind.

Bosley turned his gaze on her. "Hi, yourself. Let's sit down and I'll fill you in on what we know."

"What _you_ know," Jill grumbled but padded along after him and Sabrina just the same. The four parked themselves in Sabrina's living room, Bosley and Sabrina on the couch and Jill perched on her ottoman. There was plenty of room for Kelly to sit on either piece of furniture, but the anxious young woman chose instead to lean against the wall of Sabrina's fireplace instead.

Thankfully, Bosley wasted no time getting started. "So, this is what I know-" He started, leaning forward and dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. Jill felt herself leaning forward herself so that she could hear him. "After I dropped off Greg, I went back home to get a few things organized for your trip to New York and Charlie calls me. He says that his friend is having a hard time pulling up anything on Eva Rossi or Dave Taylor, despite them having lived in New York City until recently. None of the information Greg gave us seemed to check out. He said the only Dave Taylor that matches what Greg told us moved here to California back in the fifties."

Jill furrowed her brow. Could that be the same Dave Taylor whose son she had met the other day in San Francisco?

"Strange," Sabrina chimed in. "But…but why all the-"

"I'm getting there." Bosley cut her off. "Charlie found it pretty strange too, so he called Greg and get this: The guy is gone. Checked out from his hotel, no forwarding address, no message for us, nothing. Just gone."

Kelly sighed her frustration. "I told you he was crooked. He split because Charlie was looking up his tax records, didn't he?"

Bosley nodded his head. "That's part of it, yeah. Anyway, by that evening when we found out Greg had checked out of his hotel, Charlie called the office number he'd left for us. And they'd never even heard of the guy."

Sabrina pulled a face. "What? How…doesn't Charlie check these things out _before_ he agrees to take on a case?"

"He _did_ check him out," Bosley insisted. "All of those numbers were legit when we ran the background check on the guy."

Jill felt another cold chill creep down her spine. "Then…then what did he want from us?"

"That's why we're being so careful," Bosley replied and his voice dropped even lower. "Charlie kept on communicating with his friend trying to find this Greg Samson and he doesn't turn up anywhere. The only Gregory Samson is an infant from New York who died at birth in the early thirties. Our guy must have stolen his identity. He had all the right papers in order when we met."

"Ugh," Sabrina said for all of them. "Please tell me that's it."

Unfortunately, Bosley wasn't done. He barreled right through her comment. "So, Charlie's friend does a little more digging, gets some of his friends to dig along with him. They come up with a guy named Marcus Solomon."

"Who's that?" Sabrina asked before Jill could get her mouth to formulate a question.

Bosley threw up his hands. "Well, Charlie thinks that's Greg Samson's real name. And get this: Charlie's contact just found out that this guy Solomon was wanted for _murder_ about twenty-seven years ago when he was just a kid, maybe fifteen or sixteen. Apparently, he sold drugs to a guy he worked for at the docks. Guy didn't pay up or something along those lines and Solomon killed him and another employee that worked with them just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They haven't seen or heard from him since. The kid just up and vanished."

The girls shared a surprised look.

"If he was a teenager twenty-seven years ago, then he's about the right age to be Greg," Jill muttered. "And that would explain why he changed his identity."

"And why he bailed when he figured out just how much dirt Charlie is capable of digging up," Sabrina added. "So…why get involved with _us_ then?"

Bosley shook his head. "We don't know. We couldn't find anything on Michelle Samson. And the ex-wife and boyfriend have no record in New York past the early fifties. Not even Charlie could find a trace of them and now Greg Samson or Marcus Solomon-if that's really his name- is gone too. There had to be a reason he wanted to get close to us. We just don't know it yet."

Jill rubbed her face in one hand and silently wished she was at home watching the goddamn creature feature, warm and safe on her couch. "So…so maybe he wants to get to Charlie."

"Maybe," Bosley said after a moment. "That's why Charlie wants to keep you safe. Now we know this guy is capable of murder. And maybe he figures the best way to get to Charlie is through one of you girls."

"But why?" Kelly balked. "And why didn't he do it when we were in San Francisco? He had us alone in a strange city in the hotel that _he_ picked out and paid for. He could have made his move any time, why didn't-" She paused as a light went on in her head. "-or maybe-" She trailed off, fixing Sabrina with a knowing look.

"Or maybe he just wanted us out of his hair," Sabrina finished for her. When the group fell into a tense silence, she popped to her feet. "Well, isn't this fun? I guess we're not sleeping anymore tonight. Who wants coffee?"

Jill meekly raised her hand and Bosley grumbled something that sounded like an affirmative and so Sabrina disappeared into the kitchen.

"So-" Jill piped up, keeping her voice loud enough so that Sabrina could hear her in the kitchen. "Why would he want to get rid of us for a few days?"

"Well, that would guarantee the office to be empty. And our houses." Kelly said quietly and that implication made Jill feel sick all over again. "If someone wanted some information on us, what better way than to distract us with a bogus case? And even better if we're four hours away to give them all the time they needed to snoop around our places, go through our things and find out as much as they could about us."

Jill stared hard at Kelly as she absorbed that. Sometimes she forgot what Kelly's past was like. It was hard to see it in her now, but she had been a thief, a criminal, and just because life was better for her now, didn't mean it changed the way her mind worked. Most often her insight was helpful, this time it just made Jill want to throw up.

"This keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" Sabrina muttered from the kitchen. "Did anyone notice anything out of place when they got back home?"

Jill groaned. "No. But, I wasn't looking for it either."

"I worked from the office a couple hours a day while you were gone. It didn't seem to have any visitors besides me." Bosley answered her. "But, who knows what this guy is trying to do."

"Great," Jill replied dejectedly. "So what's Charlie doing about it?"

"He's trying to figure out if he's connected with Gregory Samson in any way," Bosley explained. "At least that's what he told me before he had me get you girls together. We have to figure out where Charlie knows him from before we can figure out just what's going on." He paused and gave Jill and Kelly both a long, hard look. " _If_ it's even Charlie who this guy is after. And until we figure that out, you girls need to be very careful. Charlie wants you to stay together and stay here until he can figure out what's going on."

Kelly scoffed and Bosley immediately raised his hands to pacify her. "I know, I know. But that's what Charlie wants us to do."

Kelly was not pacified. "Just to _sit_ here when some wackos might have been going through our garbage for the last week? This is ridiculous. We're sitting ducks here. I don't want to just sit here."

Jill sighed. "Kelly, relax."

"I don't want to _relax_ either," Kelly grumbled. She appeared to have more to say, but instead decided against it and stalked off. Sabrina's apartment wasn't big enough for her to have much distance from the rest of the group, but she did what she could and re-positioned herself out of sight in the little hallway that led to Sabrina's bathroom and bedroom. Jill didn't hear a door open so she was forced to assume that Kelly was just standing there in the hallway, alone with her thoughts.

"What's with _her_?" Bosley whispered, a bit taken aback. He didn't often see the darker side of Kelly's personality and it was a surprise when it showed.

Jill smiled awkwardly, hoping to lighten the mood. "Um, a lot of things." She replied, hoping the vague answer would sate him.

It didn't. Bosley raised a brow expectantly and Jill knew she needed to elaborate. "Okay, okay. She got a blast from the past earlier this week. You know how she gets. Or maybe you don't." She let out a nervous giggle. "Anyway, it'll take her a little while to process everything, that's all."

The elaboration didn't seem to help much. Bosley looked even more puzzled. "A blast from the past?"

Jill just shook her head. "It's… well, she can tell you later, I guess."

Bosley shrugged helplessly. "Okay. Anything I can do?" He asked.

"I guess she'll let us know when she's ready," Jill answered with a shrug of her own. She craned her neck toward the hallway, hoping their voices had been low enough so that Kelly wouldn't know they were talking about her. It wouldn't matter though, Jill realized glumly. The sudden silence would have given it away anyway.

Coffee started percolating in the kitchen and Jill turned to see Sabrina heading back toward them.

"Give that about ten minutes," She said before sitting down. She shot a curious look toward the hallway Kelly had disappeared into and then fixed Jill with a questioning look.

Jill only shook her head. "Later." She promised.

That seemed to satisfy Sabrina because she nodded and perched herself on the arm of her couch. "So is Charlie going to call us if-"

As if they had planned it, the phone suddenly let out a shrill ring, startling Sabrina nearly to the floor. Jill fared only a little better, snatching Bosley's arm and making it the second time that night that a ringing telephone had her shrieking with fright.

Luckily, Sabrina managed to catch her balance instead of spilling to the floor and swooped over the tangled-up pile of Jill and Bosley to answer the phone.

"Charlie?" She said quickly.

Jill stared at her intensely, not daring to breathe until she saw Sabrina visibly relax.

"Yeah, he's here," Sabrina said, her voice much calmer now and relieved, Jill relaxed and finally let go of Bosley's arm.

"We're all here," Sabrina went on and, most unnecessarily turned and mouthed " _It's Charlie_ " to the rest of room. "Let me ask him." She put her hand over the receiver. "Bos, did you bring-"

"Yes, I brought it, let me set it up," Bosley answered.

"He's getting it," Sabrina informed Charlie and Jill guessed he had jumped up to go connect the speaker box. She was right. A few moments later, he returned, took the phone from Sabrina and then Charlie's worried voice filled the room.

"Sorry about the late night roll call," He said. "But, until I figure out what's going on, I'd like the four of you to stay together and Sabrina's apartment is the safest place to do that."

"We understand, Charlie," Jill said, trying to sound pleasant.

"Glad to hear it," Charlie replied. "I take it none of you were followed or saw anything out of the ordinary on your way over?"

Bosley cleared his throat. "Nothing on my end."

"Me neither," Jill reported.

"I've been keeping an eye out and I haven't seen anything either," Sabrina chimed in. There was an expectant silence that followed and Jill had a feeling that Charlie was waiting for Kelly to report.

"Kelly said she didn't see anything either," Jill covered. It wouldn't do to yell for her. She turned and motioned for Sabrina to go get her and with an irritated sigh, Sabrina slipped off of the couch to do just that.

"Is Kelly there?" Charlie asked, his voice a bit confused.

Jill began an explanation, but Bosley started talking over her. He got to the word "blast" before Jill was able to elbow him into silence. She smiled, though Charlie couldn't see it, and hoped her voice didn't betray any of the worry she was feeling. "Yes, she's here. She's just-"

"Sorry, Charlie. I was closing the blinds in Bri's bedroom." Kelly's voice came from behind her. Jill turned and was relieved to see Kelly headed back their way, Sabrina right behind her.

"Ah," Charlie said and if he was confused about Jill and Bosley's fumble, he chose not to acknowledge it. "Glad you're being careful. You didn't see anyone suspicious on your way over here, did you?"

Kelly sat down next to Jill. "No, nothing."

There was a crackle on the other line as Charlie moved about his office. "That's good. I just wanted to make sure the four of you were safe for the night. I'll check in with you tomorrow by noon. No one leaves Sabrina's apartment for any reason until my call tomorrow."

Jill, for some reason, felt she needed to try to keep the atmosphere light. "Ooh, a sleepover." She cooed.

Charlie chuckled. "If you'd prefer to think of it that way."

Bosley looked unhappy. Unlike Jill and Kelly, he didn't have a change of clothes stashed away in Sabrina's apartment for the next day. "Got it, Charlie."

"Good. Then stay safe. And keep your eyes open. Hopefully, this arrangement will be very temporary."

"Will do, Charlie," Sabrina replied.

"Goodnight then."

"Goodnight." Jill, Sabrina, and Bosley chorused. The line went dead and Bosley heaved a big sigh.

"Well, I hope you don't mind seeing me in this getup for the next twenty-four hours." He said, gesturing to the sweatpants and wrinkled blue t-shirt he had been wearing when Charlie's phone call woke him up.

Jill giggled and tugged at his sleeve. "Oh, I don't know. I like this look." She waved her hands as if tracing a marquee. "Bosley _au naturale_."

"Yeah, it's natural, alright," Bosley grumbled. He turned and looked expectantly toward the kitchen where the coffee had just stopped percolating. "Is that ready? I could use a cup."

Sabrina gave a sly grin. "Are you sure you need it?" Jill saw where she was going with that and dissolved into giggles. "I saw the way the two of you jumped when the phone rang."

Bosley sniffed. "I'm surprised you noticed what with all the effort it took _you_ to not fall on your keester."

That had Jill giggling too. Sabrina gave him a good-natured swat across his arm and then disappeared into the kitchen to get the coffee. Bosley turned back to Jill, grinning victoriously and though she would have loved to give him his moment, she suddenly realized that there probably wouldn't be a better opportunity to talk to Kelly any time soon. She caught Bosley's eye, tilted her head at Kelly and then smiled.

Bosley promptly turned away and just as Jill resigned herself to thinking that he hadn't understood her, he stood and followed Sabrina into the kitchen. "I think I'll be nice enough to help you with that." He called.

"And people say chivalry is dead." Sabrina teased.

Their banter continued, but Jill fixed her attention on Kelly, still sitting next to her on the ottoman. She patted her knee and Kelly flinched. She must have been a thousand miles away. "Sorry. Are you alright, Kell?"

To her surprise, Kelly didn't shy away. "No." She admitted softly.

"Tell me?" Jill whispered. "Did something happen?"

Kelly shook her head. That panicky, agitated look had returned to her eyes. "Later." She said quietly. They sat in awkward silence, listening to Sabrina and Bosley laughing in the kitchen until, apparently unable to take it anymore, Kelly excused herself with a mumbled "Be right back" and disappeared into the hallway again. Jill watched her friend go, feeling like she'd failed her.

Later, she promised herself. Later, she would get to the bottom of this.


	12. Confessions

_**Sunday, November 14th (but still no sun)**_

 _Later_ , Kelly had said to her.

Jill had no idea what she meant by " _later."_ More than likely her secretive friend was just blowing her off, but she meant to find out anyway and find out soon.

As an added plus, Kelly couldn't really go anywhere too far away so this would likely be the best opportunity Jill was going to get.

As soon as Kelly was up, Jill thought, suddenly quite determined. Then she'd be able to talk to her alone. She almost _always_ woke first, and no matter what time Kelly woke up, it was bound to be before Sabrina did.

That was when she'd get it out of her, Jill decided, squeezing some Crest onto her extra toothbrush with a renewed vigor.

It was almost six in the morning.

She, Sabrina and Bosley had each had a couple cups of coffee and now that the initial shock of Charlie's discovery and the adrenaline that came with it had died down, it was mutually decided that they try to get some sleep.

A gentleman through and through, Bosley took the couch, leaving the three girls to do what they could in Sabrina's bedroom. Luckily, Sabrina had a king-sized bed. It would be a little crowded with all three of them in it, but Jill figured they would make do.

She finished brushing her teeth in the bathroom and made her way to Sabrina's room where her two friends were probably already asleep.

To her complete and total surprise, they weren't. And not just that, it appeared she had walked in on something much more serious than sleep.

Kelly was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her head in her hands and Sabrina was next to her, a hand on her shoulder and looking thoroughly baffled. She caught Jill's eye as the sleepy blonde entered the room and urgently waved her over. " _Help!_ " was written all over her face and Jill's heart jumped into her throat. Whatever was wrong, Sabrina had gotten it out of her first.

"What's going on?" Jill asked, rushing forward. She dropped her toiletry bag on the nightstand and hopped up on the bed.

Kelly raised her head just as she did and Jill was dismayed to see that panicky, terrified look had returned. Her face was white as a sheet and, despite how eager she'd been to solve the mystery of what Kelly had been hiding, Jill found herself dreading whatever it was she was about to learn.

She fought back the bad feeling she had and reached out to lay a hand on Kelly's other shoulder. Something was very, very wrong.

"Tell her what you just told me," Sabrina said quietly. She vacated her spot on the bed to shut the door and turn out the light, probably so Bosley wouldn't sit up wondering just what they were up to. One of them had already turned on the lamp on the nightstand, giving her plenty of light to maneuver her way back to the bed. Jill turned her attention back to Kelly.

"Kell, what's going on?" She whispered. "Are you okay?"

Kelly quickly shook her head. "No, I'm not okay, Jill."

"What's going on?! Tell me!" Jill cried, feeling her chest begin to tighten.

In response, Kelly blew out a shaky breath. "Earlier, after I left the office, I went looking up people that I could call to …to try to figure this mess out. And, there weren't a whole lot of people that I knew- I mean, there were, but not that I could call-"

Jill stared at her and grew increasingly more nervous, wondering what had Kelly so rattled that she was rambling like a frightened little girl.

And then suddenly she knew exactly what Kelly was going to say.

"-and…and so I remembered that when I lived in Utah, there was this neighbor lady and I had her number because my foster parents- well, whatever, the point is I knew her number."

"Just tell her what she said, Kelly." Sabrina cut in impatiently.

Kelly stared at her and then back at Jill. "I called and asked if my foster parents still lived in that house, that I had found something of theirs that I thought they might like back and she just got quiet." She rubbed her face and then fixed her gaze back down to the sheets, unable to meet anyone's eyes. "-I mean…she knew how they treated me. She didn't like them any more than I did, but….but she got quiet and she told me that they had disappeared."

Jill felt her stomach flip. She caught Sabrina's eye and her friend only raised a brow.

"It was a couple of months back," Kelly went on, her voice getting more and more frantic. "No trace of them yet, but based on whatever the police found at the house, they suspect foul play."

And there it was. Jill shut her eyes and took a deep breath. No more hoping for a coincidence now. She'd expected as much, but it was still a shock to hear. "Oh, man. What do you think is happening, Kelly?"

Kelly let out a ragged sigh. "I don't know." She glared at Sabrina. "But, it's sure as hell isn't a coincidence anymore. And I'm not done yet."

"No?" Jill asked cautiously.

Sabrina let out a humorless laugh. "She's not even to the best part yet."

"Aw, shit," Jill muttered. Of course not.

A pained look crossed Kelly's face. "I know I told you I'd wait..." She started. "That we'd all look into it when we got back home. But, I _had_ to know. I just couldn't sit there and do nothing. I left our room at night while we were in San Francisco."

Jill looked up and caught Sabrina's eye. "I knew it." She groaned. "Bri, I told you one of us should have-"

"Oh, stop." Kelly snapped. "I'd have done it anyway. How could I just _sit_ there and do nothing when this was going on, huh? Just let me finish. So, I called information in Nevada, in Hendersen and in Reno, both places I lived with a foster family. The two families in Reno were good to me. Nothing happened to them."

Jill had to pause. "Wait… did you talk to them? Did you tell them what was going on?"

Kelly looked at her as if she'd just suggested drinking bleach. " _What_? No, I'm not about to broadcast to anyone that I know all of my old foster parents are getting offed." She snapped. Her features softened guiltily. "Besides, I… well, by that time I was in high school. I was… let's just say I wasn't as good to them as they were to me. I pretended to be a salesperson. I recognized the lady's voice at the first place. Asked for her husband and got some story about him being at work even though I could hear his voice over the line. Did the same routine for the next place. Same thing. Nothing happened to them." She said again.

To _them_ , Jill's mind echoed. She almost didn't want to ask. "And… to the couple in Hendersen?" Sabrina asked for her.

Kelly's eyes narrowed. "I couldn't get ahold of them in San Francisco. I spent a whole night looking up people and calling everywhere I could think of, but no dice. I left some messages, but that's all I could do. This evening after I left the office, I went home and I had a message on my machine. I didn't check it at first, I thought it was one of you checking up on me." She paused to give them a pained look. "Sorry. Anyway, I finally checked it tonight and it was from one of the boys that lived with me during my time there. He still lives in the area."

"And?" Jill ventured.

"Well, guess what? They're dead." Kelly spat. "The whole family. The couple _and_ their three kids. Went missing last month, turned up a week later dead. Shot to death. Execution style just like Robert Jansen."

"Oh my God," Jill breathed. She turned to glance at Sabrina and for once, her brassy friend had absolutely nothing to say. "The kids? I mean-"

"Kids when I lived there. They were in their thirties by now." Kelly explained.

"And this family…" Sabrina said quietly. "They… all mistreated you? Even the kids?"

Kelly stared at her. "What do you think, Sabrina?" She said, a little louder than they had been speaking before. " _Yes_ , they mistreated me! I lived there with two more foster boys. They mistreated all of us Their kids did too! Everyone…everyone who …who beat me or… or… or hurt me in any way while I lived with them… someone is killing them one by one and I... I don't know what to do!"

Jill reached out and took hold of both of Kelly's shoulders. "Kelly, stop. Take a deep breath. You need to try and ca-"

"Try and _calm down_?" Kelly blurted out, her green eyes dancing and wild. "How the hell am I supposed to calm down! Someone is murdering all-"

"Shh!" Sabrina cut her off. "Calm down. Not so loud."

Kelly lowered her voice but did not calm down. "They'll think I had something to do with this." She said in a panicky whisper. "I told you! They're gonna connect the dots some way and… I have a record, they'll think I did it or that I paid someone-"

This wasn't getting them anywhere. Jill gave her friend a shake. "Okay, okay. Stop this. Stop it now, Kelly."

"And what if that's what someone _wants_ everyone to think?" Kelly rambled on, getting loud again. "What if… what if I'm being set up?! Someone's been looking up my records, looking at every place I used to live and-"

"Kelly, stop!" Jill cried.

Kelly shut her mouth, but her intense stare bored right into Jill, almost begging for her help. She never asked for help, not Kelly Garrett and Jill had learned many times over -often the hard way- to just leave her alone when something was wrong and let her figure it out by herself. But now here she was, terrified and confused, and Jill found that right when Kelly needed her most, there was nothing she could say.

"This… this is going on in four or five different states, Kelly," Jill said, trying her best to be calm.

Sabrina edged forward and gently placed a hand on Kelly's knee. "That's right. There's no way they'll even connect the dots." Her brown eyes narrowed. "But, we need to figure out what's going on."

Kelly shook her head. She had quieted down and was no longer rambling, but by no means was she calm. "How are we gonna do that? You just said... this is happening in four states-"

"I _know_ what I said," Sabrina said firmly. "First off, this might not have anything to do with you. It might just-"

Kelly's icy stare clipped that sentence right off.

"Okay, it's probably about you." Sabrina amended. "But, what I meant was, maybe not _just_ you. And it looks like a lot of the people we can ask about this are…well, they're dead. I want you to think real hard, Kelly. Was there anyone in your life that followed you to more than one place?"

Kelly thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"Are you sure, Kell?" Jill asked her softly and again Kelly shook her head. "Anyone who might have it out for you from your past?"

Kelly groaned. "Maybe." She admitted. "I wasn't exactly a Brownie scout. I…there could be so many."

Sabrina looked thoughtful. "Well, what if we're going about this backward?"

"Backwards?" Jill echoed. "What do you mean backward?"

"Just that we're thinking about it from the wrong angle. Now, what if we go the opposite way of that? How about someone who might be getting some revenge _for_ you? Anyone you were close to who you told about these people?"

Kelly made a noise in the back of her throat. "No, Bri. That's the first thing that came into my head was …was someone getting revenge. But who?" She threw up her hands. "I grew up alone. I changed places every few months and even the places where I happened to stay a little bit longer-" She stopped and worked her jaw, trying to puzzle out what she could say. "-I didn't get close to anyone, I didn't keep in touch with anyone. I didn't have friends - _real_ friends- until I met you. Who would have given a shit about me enough to do something like this?"

Who, indeed...

Jill again came up short. She glanced to Sabrina for help, but there was really nothing either of them could come up with. "Well," Jill chanced, hoping to be helpful. "You might not even know they existed. You could have had a secret admirer."

It wasn't quite as helpful as she had hoped it would be.

"A secret admirer?" Kelly echoed in disgust. "Someone who loved me so much that they waited fifteen years before getting revenge for me?" She spat. "If they cared so much why not start this while I was in trouble and maybe get me moved somewhere where I was treated better? Why wait?"

Sabrina gave a humorless smile. "You think someone who is traveling around offing your shitty foster parents is someone who's playing with a full deck?"

Kelly dropped her head into her hands.

"Come on, Kell." Jill pressed. "You're a pretty girl. You had boyfriends."

Kelly groaned. "Not real ones. And not ones that cared about more than one thing."

"You don't know that." Sabrina pointed out. "Can you think of their names?"

There was a short pause before Kelly, apparently out of any ideas of her own and willing to latch onto anyone else's, nodded her head. "Uh, yeah. There was-"

"Write them down," Sabrina said. She leaned back, opened her nightstand drawer, produced a legal pad and ripped off the top sheet, leaving a clean slate for Kelly to fill in. The frazzled young woman spread the pad down in her lap and began hurriedly scrawling down a few names just as soon as they popped into her head.

"First and last name," Sabrina urged her calmly. "And what city they were from. Anything you can remember."

Jill watched Kelly write, watched her nearly unintelligible scrawl start filling up line after line and wondered if she was listing every guy who had ever hit on her during the entirety of her teenage years.

When she was finished there were eight names, first and last except for one, complete with the city they were from. Some even had dates of birth and high schools attended, the names of one or both parents. She went as far as to include a social security number for one poor bastard and Jill decided she'd leave it to her imagination as to why Kelly would know that.

Again, Kelly thought as a criminal would, Jill realized with a pang of something that felt like fear and felt like pity. Sometimes she forgot.

And then there were times like this where she said or did something that reminded her and left Jill feeling cold.

She watched as Kelly slid Sabrina the list and felt a little justified about her shock at Kelly's information when Sabrina's brows gave an involuntary jump.

"Uh, wow." She said uneasily. "Thanks, Kell."

If she was aware of how strange it was to have so much information in her head about people she barely knew, Kelly didn't show it. "But, it's like I said." She sighed. "I didn't keep in touch with any of them. And I wasn't very close to any of them, either. I don't know that they'd be the type." She toyed with the pen in her hand. "I really think someone might be setting me up."

Jill thought for a moment. "Let's say you're right. Who would dig up that kind of information on you?"

Kelly shook her head, clearly frustrated. "I don't know. Someone who wants it to look like I just went on a foster parent killing rampage across the western Unit-"

She hadn't understood the question. Jill waved her off. "No, I mean who would _actually_ have access to that information."

"Oh," Kelly said quietly.

"Jill's right." Sabrina started in. She'd been sitting pensively for a few moments, and Jill desperately hoped she'd be able to run with her idea. By the look on her face, she just knew she was right. "This would have to be someone with access to state records, wouldn't it? Someone who's a social worker now, maybe a counselor, maybe even a cop."

Kelly looked up at her, hope in her eyes for the first time since she'd opened Helen's letter. "That would make sense."

"I think so too." Sabrina went on. "Listen, I think it's safe to say that whoever this person is, revenge is their motive. Now, all we have to figure out is if its revenge against these people you lived with or-" She paused and gave Kelly an odd smile. "-if it's revenge against you."

Kelly didn't say anything.

"First, I think no matter who it is, it's got to be someone who has access to this information or is close to someone with access to this information." Sabrina continued. "So, you're gonna have to give us more names. Foster brothers and sisters, any friends you picked up, people who liked you, people who hated you, anyone you can think of."

She slid the notepad back to Kelly. "Once we can narrow it down, then we'll decide what exactly it is that this person is after."

Finally, Kelly nodded her head. "Okay."

Jill edged forward and laid a gentle hand on her friend's knee. "Kell, if it's okay with you, I think we need to let Charlie and Bos in on this." She started slowly.

The look on Kelly's face said that she didn't agree. "No, I don't think that's a-"

Jill grabbed her arm to quiet her protests. "I know you don't like it. But, Charlie would be able to check these people out a hell of a lot faster than we could."

Sabrina nodded. "Especially now that we're trapped here."

Kelly set her jaw, unconvinced. "He'll be busy looking up Greg Samson." She argued. "He's not going to have time for this."

"He can _make_ time," Jill said firmly.

"He _will_ make time," Sabrina added. "Kelly, whatever is going on, someone has a dangerous fixation on you. You don't know what they'll do once they run out of old nuns and foster parents. We want to keep you safe. Charlie will want to keep you safe."

"I don't like it," Kelly said quietly after a few beats.

"Well, would you _like_ to be in jail?" Jill shot back. "Again? Cause if someone is setting you up, I think they're doing a very good job of it and on the off chance the police manage to connect all of these dots, then that's exactly where you're going." She smiled sweetly and brightened up. "So, I'll ask you again, Kelly. Would you like to be in jail?"

That seemed to do it. Kelly let out a defeated sigh. "No, I wouldn't."

Jill smiled at her. "I didn't think so. Get up, let's go tell Bosley right now."

"Jill-" Kelly sighed, but when Jill took her arm, she obediently got up and followed her to the door.

Bosley's loud snores greeted them the moment the door was open and Kelly dug in her heels.

"I don't want to wake him up." She whispered, pushing backward.

Sabrina edged in behind them. "Is that Bos? Gah, he sounds like a Mac truck, doesn't he?" She mused.

Jill had to agree. "He sounds like what a Mac truck aspires to be." She sighed, releasing her friend's arm. Kelly had a point, she decided, and gently shut the door. "Okay fine. We'll tell him tomorrow." She turned to point a finger at Kelly, now retreating back towards the bed. "But we are telling him. And Charlie."

"I know," Kelly muttered.

Beside her, Sabrina let out a loud sigh. "Okay, look. It's late-" She paused and glanced toward the window where she could see the sky turning pink and orange as dawn approached. "-or early. Whatever. The point is… we're all tired."

"I'm not tired," Kelly grumbled.

"We're _all_ tired." Sabrina reiterated, ignoring her. "We're not gonna be able to think if we don't get some sleep. None of us are. So, let's sleep on it and in the morn-…when we wake up, we'll talk to Bos. Then, Kelly, you'll add some names to that list you've got there and we'll let Charlie in on this."

Jill let out a big yawn. She was surprised she could feel tired after hearing what had been going on with Kelly, but it had been a long night. Sabrina was right, they needed to sleep. "Sounds like a plan, Bri."

Sabrina beamed. "Good. Now, let's just hope Greg Samson doesn't come busting through the front door with an axe, right?" She turned and mimed the action into Kelly's chest, and, despite everything, Kelly laughed softly.

 _Leave it to her_ , Jill thought irritably. She watched, unamused, as Sabrina and Kelly both giggled together like a couple of idiots.

Sometimes she wondered about them…

"Yes, thank you for that sweet mental image. That's _just_ the kind of bedtime story I needed."

Sabrina finally sobered. "Hey, if there's not at least two people trying to kill you, you aren't doing your job, right?" She joked. "What a night, huh?"

Jill gave her a blank stare. For the one who'd had the most stable upbringing, Sabrina had the _weirdest_ sense of humor. Instead of replying, she shook her head and climbed back into the bed. Kelly was already making herself comfortable on the floor.

"There's room up here, Kell." Sabrina offered.

Kelly flopped herself down. "I'm fine down here."

Jill peered down at her. Kelly didn't like to be cramped, but surely that was better than sleeping on the floor. "You sure?"

"That way I can just roll under the bed when Greg gets here with his axe." Kelly deadpanned and then rolled over and went quiet.

Sabrina started to laugh again. Of course, she did. They were _both_ sick in the head. Jill rolled her eyes and fluffed up her pillow. "You're both head cases. Goodnight."

They both muttered something back and five minutes later, Jill was staring up the darkened ceiling listening to Sabrina breathing. She and Kelly were both quiet, but Jill was more than certain neither of her friends were asleep.

She might have tried to roll over and talk to one of them, but she didn't want to chance waking them if they did happen to be asleep. She couldn't think of anything to say anyway. Something was going on, that was for sure. Something very weird and she didn't like it one bit.

The bedroom gradually brightened as the sun came up and Jill, though exhausted, found it impossible to turn off her brain. She might as well get used to it, she thought bitterly to herself, because until this whole mess with Greg and Kelly cleared up, there were going to be a lot of sleepless nights.


	13. Peanut Butter Eggos

_**Sunday, November 14th (properly)**_

It was nearly eleven before Jill felt it would be appropriate to get out of bed.

She'd slept off and on since Kelly's revelation and, quite frankly, was frustrated with waking up every fifteen minutes. It wasn't restful, her half-formed dreams were freaky and weird and, overall, it was just _much_ easier to get out of bed and get on with the day.

Unsurprisingly, Sabrina had fallen asleep not long after they'd turned in and was still out cold. Jill made sure not to make too much noise as she climbed out of bed and stepped over Kelly on her way to the bathroom door. Kelly was still lying quietly when she stepped over her on the return trip.

On a whim, Jill reached a foot out and gently nudged her shoulder. "Hey, are you-"

"I'm up," Came a whispered response. Kelly rolled over. She looked alert enough, Jill decided. Maybe she had gotten some sleep after all.

"Oh, good," Jill greeted her. "How you feeling?"

Kelly made a face. "I don't know."

Jill had no idea either. "Hungry, I hope," She replied, breaking into a smile. Whatever was going to happen today, she had no clue, but she wasn't about to face it on an empty stomach. "Get up and help me find something to eat."

Whether or not she was as hungry as Jill was, Kelly rose with a quiet sigh, quickly got ready, and then both women padded into the living room where Bosley was still snoring away on Sabrina's couch. It looked like he was enjoying his sleep too. His mouth was wide open, hair sticking up in a hundred different directions with one arm slung over the side of the cushions.

"Just like an angel," Jill cooed as they walked past him.

Kelly snickered.

Pleased with herself, Jill wandered into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. She'd half expected to be disappointed, but it turned out even _that_ was too optimistic. She wrinkled her nose as she surveyed its sparse contents.

"When this is over, we need to take that girl shopping," Jill sighed. She poked at something wrinkly and half wrapped in cellophane that might, at one point, have been a carrot. "Look at this. This is a cry for help, Kelly. She needs to learn how to cook."

She felt Kelly scoot in behind her. "Hmm. I'm not sure any food deserves that kind of punishment."

"You might be right," Jill replied sadly as she closed the fridge door. Unless they wanted to eat pickles, mustard and beer for breakfast, there wasn't anything of interest in there. She and Kelly did some scrounging around and managed to come up with a jar of peanut butter, some Eggos, and a toaster. That and some coffee was as good as it was going to get this morning.

Jill was munching on her second Eggo when the snoring stopped and some rustling from the living room caught her attention. She craned her neck to see over Kelly's shoulder and was pleased to see Bosley shuffling his way over to them.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," She greeted him through a mouthful of waffle. "Want some breakfast?"

"Morning," Bosley yawned and sat himself down at the table. He eyed Jill and Kelly's meager breakfast and sighed. "Breakfast, huh?" He muttered disapprovingly.

"We can wake up Sabrina and have her cook something for you if you want," Jill offered sweetly.

Bosley gave her a look. "Sadist."

Giggling to herself, Jill took another bite. Bosley may have turned his nose up at their breakfast, but when she slathered up a couple of waffles for him and slid it over, he didn't refuse it.

By this time, the smell of coffee must have wafted its way over to Sabrina's bedroom, because she appeared a few minutes later and the four sat in a tired haze, drinking coffee and eating Eggos.

"This gonna get old by dinner time," Jill mused. "I hope Charlie has this figured out by then."

Sabrina looked up, slightly annoyed. "Hey, if I had known we were all gonna be quarantined in here I would have picked up some extra things from the store."

"Then we'd have enough peanut butter to last us for weeks." Kelly added dryly.

" _And_ Eggos." Sabrina corrected her.

Kelly tried not to laugh. "Yes, peanut butter _and_ Eggos to last us for weeks." She amended.

"Thank you. And I think there's some pickles in the fridge too," Sabrina went on. "Since you all seem to be keeping such good score."

"Your score is three then." Jill sighed. "And it's only that high because I happen to like Eggos." She drained the last of her coffee and set down her cup. "Why don't we call Charlie and see if he's figured out anything else?"

Bosley shrugged. "I'm surprised he hasn't called actually," He replied. "He said he'd be in touch by noon."

Jill looked at her watch. It was five past already. "Well, he lied then."

Bosley sipped his coffee leisurely and Jill wondered how he could be so calm. "Patience, my dear," He sighed.

Jill wrinkled her nose. That term of endearment reminded her of Greg Samson and she was just about to let Bosley know it when the telephone began to ring noisily in the living room. Bosley delicately set his coffee cup down and fixed Jill with his best "I told you so" face before deliberately pushing himself up from his seat.

"I believe that would be Charlie," He gloated as the four hurried into the living room.

Jill lifted her chin and chose not to dignify that with a response. While Bosley set up the speaker box on Sabrina's coffee table, she perched herself on the arm of the couch next to Kelly and gave her friend a gentle pat on the shoulder. She'd done a good job of hiding it at breakfast, but she could tell how antsy Kelly was getting about this phone call. "We'll get this figured out soon." She offered.

Kelly only nodded.

"Good afternoon, Charlie," Bosley greeted as soon as he'd set up the speaker. There was a brief crackle and then Charlie's cheerful baritone filled the room.

"Good afternoon," He greeted back. "Is everyone present and accounted for?"

"Present and accounted for!" Jill purred. One by one, and much less enthusiastically, the rest of her friends reported the same.

"Glad to hear it," Charlie went on when he'd heard all of their voices. "How are the four of you holding up?"

If only he knew. Jill turned and shared a look with Sabrina and Kelly. She wasn't about to offer up anything yet though, that was Kelly's job. Her eyes drifted to Bosley and she smiled brightly, hoping he'd answer for them.

As usual, he didn't disappoint. "I think I speak for everyone when I say that we'll be doing a _lot_ better once we find out exactly what's going on," Bosley reported.

Charlie chuckled humorlessly. "Wouldn't we all?" He replied. "Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you yet."

A chorus of groans went up around the room. Jill edged her way forward. " _Nothing_ , Charlie?" She sighed dejectedly.

"Not yet," Charlie went on. "I'm just as frustrated as you are. I've called up some favors last night and still nothing on Gregory Samson. Whatever his motives might be, he's done an excellent job of keeping them secret."

Jill sighed loudly. "Are we still stuck here then?"

"I'm afraid so, Jill," Charlie replied to disappointed muttering "I know how you feel. Just awhile longer, though. Until we know what this Greg Samson is up to."

That was that. Jill had been hoping to hear at least _something_ on Greg Samson. Something concrete that told them what to expect. And, more importantly, something that would make it alright to focus on whatever it was that was going on with Kelly. She glanced at her and saw Kelly having a silent battle with Sabrina.

Well, Charlie may not have had any news for them but they sure had some news for him.

She turned away and noticed Bosley giving her a questioning look. He had caught on to all of their secret glances.

"Never fear though," Charlie was still talking, unable to see how strange they were acting. "I'll send over some dinner around six. It wouldn't be fair to Sabrina to shoulder all of the responsibilities for keeping her house guests fed."

Sabrina looked up at the mention of her name. Charlie was trying to lighten up the mood and Sabrina humored him.

"Thanks, Charlie," She replied distractedly. "My house guests have done nothing but complain about the menu since they got here."

Charlie chuckled. "I'll see that they have nothing else to complain about for the duration of their stay. I'll also send up a few changes of clothing for you, Bosley. I don't suppose you have anything stashed away at Sabrina's apartment."

Bosley grinned. "No, I uh…wouldn't want to tarnish the young lady's reputation," He kept his eyes on Kelly while he spoke. "Thanks, Charlie."

The room lapsed into silence and, finally, the tension was so great it carried over through the speaker box. Charlie was quiet for a bit before clearing his throat. "Angels, Bosley, you seem to have something on your minds," He ventured. "Care to share?"

Three pairs of eyes were suddenly locked on Kelly. It was quiet for a moment, Kelly looking extremely uncomfortable as she gathered her thoughts.

"Angels?" Charlie asked again.

Jill decided Kelly needed her help. "Sorry, Charlie. It's just that...well, it looks like we might have bigger things to worry about than Greg Samson."

There was beat of silence. "What are you talking about, Jill?" Charlie asked, sounding a bit apprehensive.

More staring at Kelly. "Uh, I think Kelly needs to tell you," Sabrina said slowly. She gave Kelly an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Go on, Kell."

Again Kelly was the center of attention. She glanced nervously around the room and then took a deep breath. "Charlie-" She started slowly. "My old….caretakers have been turning up dead. Someone is killing them."

Another beat of silence. Kelly's delivery was blunt as usual, and Jill was quite sure the news hadn't been what her boss was expecting to hear. Through the speaker, Jill could hear the squeak of Charlie's chair as he leaned forward.

"Your caretakers?" Charlie echoed in surprise. "How do you know this, Kelly?"

Kelly looked away. "Because, I saw a report on the news. A couple that I used to live with when I was in the system was murdered. And before I saw _that_ , I got a letter from a girl I used to know at the orphanage where I lived when I was little. The matron there disappeared without a trace."

"Disappeared?" Charlie asked in confusion. Jill could hear the click of his shoes on the wood floor trough the speaker as he paced around his office. She didn't blame him. It wasn't the kind of news one should take sitting down.

"Disappeared," Kelly confirmed quietly. "And while we were in San Francisco, we saw on the news about another murder. And _again_ it was one of my foster parents."

"Someone is offing all of your foster parents?" Bosley blurted out finally. He'd been sitting with his mouth hanging open since Kelly started talking.

Jill leaned over and patted his knee. "Oh, not _all_ of her foster parents," She added cryptically.

Kelly exhaled loudly, shooting her an annoyed look. "No, not all of them. Just the ones who mistreated me."

"Mistreated you?" Charlie started. "Meaning-"

"You can use your imagination on that, Charlie," Kelly went on quietly. "The people I lived with who didn't treat me well are turning up dead. I found out about another one last night. An entire family of them that turned up dead. A boy I used to live with at their home left me a message to tell me."

"What?" Bosley looked thoroughly confused. "Why didn't you say something last night?"

Kelly shrugged. "I guess I was still processing it myself. I called up two other families that were good to me while I lived with them. They're fine. It's only the ones who…who made my life _difficult_ that are turning up dead."

The click of Charlie's shoes had stopped. It was dead quiet for a few moments before Charlie deliberately cleared his throat. "How long have you been sitting on this, Kelly?"

"I got the letter the night before we met with Greg Samson," Kelly answered truthfully. "I didn't start hearing about dead foster parents until the day we left for San Francisco."

"We were hoping it was a coincidence at first," Sabrina spoke up.

Kelly shot her a look. " _You_ were hoping it was a coincidence. I told you something was going on."

"And just what _is_ it that you think is going on, Kelly?" Charlie asked. His chair squeaked again as he sat back down.

"I think someone may be trying to frame me for their murders," Kelly said. "It's also possible someone is out playing white knight and trying to get revenge for me. But…well, you asked me what _I_ thought."

Charlie cleared his throat again. "Those are both possibilities," He said evenly and then sighed. "Kelly, you should have come to me the minute you suspected something was wrong."

Kelly gave another shrug. "I wasn't even sure myself, Charlie," She admitted. "Not until last night."

"No time like the present, huh?" Jill tried to joke. No one laughed. She looked around at her friends' somber faces.

Well, _she_ thought it was funny…

"Let's say someone _is_ trying to frame you, Kelly," Charlie said after a few beats of thoughtful silence. "Any idea why? Or who?"

"We were hoping you could help us with that, Charlie," Kelly answered him. "It would have to be someone who had access to my juvenile records. Or is close to someone that can give them that access."

"We had her make up a list of names of people from her past," Sabrina chimed in. "We figure we can get their motive once we narrow down the list of people who would be able to get this information about Kelly."

They could hear Charlie's desk drawer open and close. "Give me the names. And the names of your foster parents as well. As many as you can remember."

Sabrina popped to her feet, scurried into the kitchen and returned with the legal pad that Kelly had written her names on. Jill sat quietly for the next several minutes as Kelly recited the information to Charlie, spelling out names, giving little details here and there, telling him everything she could about those people from her past.

When she was done, she tossed the notepad on the coffee table. "That's the last of them, Charlie," She announced. "I don't know how far you're going to get with them though. It might not even _be_ someone from my past."

Charlie mused over that for a moment. "Well-" He said finally. "If it is, maybe a bit of digging will give us some answers. Until then, Kelly, we have to assume that you're in danger."

Kelly laughed bitterly. "What else is new?"

"Whoever is doing this is not someone I want to get their hands on you," Charlie went on seriously. "None of you are to leave Sabrina's apartment until I can sort out this… _unpleasantness_. You especially, Kelly."

To Jill's surprise, Kelly only gave a solemn nod. "Okay, Charlie," She said quietly.

"Hmm, two people after you," Jill mused, giving her friend a playful nudge. "Aren't _you_ the popular one?"

Kelly scoffed. "Yeah. Irresistible."

Charlie was the only one who seemed amused by that. He chuckled softly. "Not our best week, is it?" He then cleared his throat and his voice took on a more serious tone. "Even _one_ person trying to harm you is too many. Be careful, stay vigilant."

"Hey, Charlie-" Sabrina said, suddenly sitting up straight. Jill turned toward her. She knew that tone. Sabrina had been sitting in thoughtful silence for awhile and the look on her face now said that she'd gotten an idea. "What if there _aren't_ two people after Kelly?"

Charlie seemed intrigued. "How do you mean, Sabrina?"

Sabrina's brown eyes were suddenly lit up with excitement and Jill found her excitement contagious. She must be on to something big.

"Just go with me on this for a minute. What if….what if _Greg Samson_ is the one offing Kelly's foster parents?"

Jill blinked. Or maybe Sabrina had just lost her mind.

"Greg Samson?" Kelly blurted out, a bewildered look on her face.

"No, hear me out," Sabrina went on, noticing that Kelly wasn't the only one looking at her like she was crazy. "Kelly's foster parents start disappearing a few months ago. Then this guy shows up, meets us, gives us a bogus case, sends us out of town so that he can poke around our houses and then when he realizes we might accidentally figure him out-" She clapped her hands loudly. "Poof! He disappears."

Kelly was staring hard at her. "That…..that's crazy though. How would Greg Samson know anything about my past?"

Sabrina threw up her hands. "You tell me, Kelly. Are you sure you never met him? Really sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Kelly insisted. "I'd have remembered a creep like him."

"So you think he hired us so that he could get close to Kelly?" Jill asked. Suddenly, Sabrina didn't sound so crazy. Suddenly, everything that happened in the past week was starting to make sense.

Sabrina turned to her. "Maybe so."

Kelly was shaking her head. "He didn't pay me any special attention," She balked. "I thought he seemed a lot more interested in Jill than in me."

Bosley made a noise in the back of his throat. "I noticed that too."

" _Everyone_ noticed that," Kelly muttered.

Jill felt her face turn red. She turned guiltily to the speaker box. "They're exaggerating, Charlie."

Sabrina laughed. "Hardly."

"Well, maybe by paying more attention to you, he wouldn't seem overly fixated on Kelly." Bosley offered. "Seems like a good way to keep anyone from figuring out what your intentions are."

For some reason, that made Jill angry. She could feel it heating up from the pit of her stomach. Some asshole using them to get to Kelly and she'd been more than happy to let him get close. She thought about all of those times she'd purposely gotten close to him, how he'd charmed her, made her feel genuine pity for him and shuddered. "Ugh, what a creep," Jill said quietly.

She looked up to see what Kelly was thinking about this and was surprised when her friend looked entirely unconvinced.

"I don't know," Kelly said, shaking her head. "I'm not buying it. He didn't seem interested in me at all."

Sabrina looked thoughtful. "He called you 'sweetheart' when we first met."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "And he spent an hour undressing Jill with his eyes. So what?"

Jill glanced back at the speaker box. "Charlie-"

"I know, Jill," Charlie replied tolerantly. "They're exaggerating. Kelly, are you sure that you've never seen Greg Samson before that first meeting at the restaurant?"

Kelly heaved an irritated sigh. "Yes, I'm sure, Charlie. I'd never laid eyes on the guy before. I think we're barking up the wrong tree here."

"I'm not so sure," Sabrina chimed in again. "I think it makes sense. I bet if we went to your house and really looked, we'd find some kind of sign that someone had been there."

Kelly shook her head. "Well, say that you're right? Why would Greg Samson want to go kill everyone in my past who hurt me?"

"Well-" Bosley spoke up. "Maybe he's been admiring you from afar? Did some digging on you and found out about the more… _unsavory_ aspects of your past?"

Kelly just stared at him.

"Maybe this is his sick way of winning you over?" Bosley finished. "Even crazy people have their reasons," He smiled humorlessly. "As crazy as those reasons may be."

That explanation left Jill feeling cold. She shuddered again and suddenly could no longer sit still. "He could have met you while we were on another case." She suggested. "Or maybe when we were on the force, you never know."

She studied Kelly's face, hoping any of these suggestions would spark an idea in her, but no such luck. Kelly remained confused and annoyed.

"I don't know," She said again. "Why would he go through all of that mess about his wife and send us all off together? If he was after me, don't you think he would have tried to find a way to get me alone?"

Sabrina shrugged. "He may have just wanted you out of your house, Kell."

"But, the whole story about his wife, the pictures he had…" Kelly sighed. "I don't know, it seems like a lot of theatrics if he just wanted a chance to get to me."

The speaker crackled. "What pictures?" Charlie asked suddenly.

"He showed us a picture of his wife and his daughter," Kelly explained.

Sabrina perked up. "Hey, Charlie, you know we had you look up Eva Rossi by name….maybe the girl in the picture _isn't_ Eva Rossi? Maybe, it's someone we can use to figure out who Greg Samson really is. He gave us the photo of her. Maybe we can look up that girl and see if she can shed some light on this for us."

Charlie thought on that for a moment. "That's an idea," He said. "I'll send someone over to fetch it."

"It looks a lot like a school picture," Kelly added. "Like she might be wearing a uniform."

Sabrina nodded her agreement. "Yeah, Charlie, maybe we can look up some old yearbooks or something, see if we can match the uniform to a school. From there we might be able to find out just who she is."

"I'll get right on it," Charlie promised. "In the meantime, you four sit tight. I'm still waiting to hear back from a few of my contacts. They might be able to tell us more about who this Gregory Samson is and what he wants. Kelly, I'll run those names you gave me and see what I can come up with. We still don't know if what's going on is connected to you in some way or not. Until we do, I'd feel better if the four of you stayed here and stayed safe. "

Bosley slouched back in his chair. "We won't budge, Charlie. I'll see to it."

"Thank you, Bosley," Charlie replied gratefully. "I'll be in touch this evening. Kelly, if you can think of anything else, you'll let me know?"

Kelly looked as if he'd just snapped her out of a trance. "I'll let you know, Charlie," She answered him.

"Good. Be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. Goodbye for now."

They muttered their goodbyes and the line went dead.

Jill slid herself off of the couch's arm and onto the cushions next to Kelly.

"Well, that's that," Bosley sighed to himself as he started unhooking the speaker box. "Looks like another slumber party for us," He looked down distastefully at his t-shirt and sweatpants. "At least I'll get a change of clothes later today."

Jill giggled softly. "I don't know, I kind of like you like this. You look so cuddly."

Bosley eyed her wearily. "I am many things. But, I am _not_ cuddly."

"Oh, you are too," Jill teased him. "Cuddly like a teddy bear." She giggled to herself and then suddenly noticed that both Kelly and Sabrina were both being oddly quiet. She turned to them just in time to catch Sabrina pulling away after whispering something in Kelly's ear.

She narrowed her eyes curiously. "What?" She mouthed to Kelly.

Kelly only looked away with a shrug.

Jill frowned. Something was up and she'd missed it. Still on his knees, busily packing away the speaker, Bosley was grumbling to himself. Something about seeing if Sabrina's neighbors wanted an extra house guest, Jill had stopped paying attention.

She sat quietly, waiting impatiently for Kelly and Sabrina to let her in on their secret but, irritatingly, they just sat there.

"There," Bosley finally rose to his feet, the speaker neatly packed away in its carrying case. He turned to the couch where all three girls were now sitting. "Well, we've got the rest of the day to while away, don't we? How about a game of rummy? Oh! Or I could teach you three how to play bridge!"

Sabrina and Kelly shared a look and this time, Bosley caught on.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at them. "Oh, no," He said, shaking his head. "Don't tell me that you-"

"We need to go to my house," Kelly spoke up finally. "See if anyone's been there."

Jill perked up immediately. So _that_ was what all the fuss was about? It may have been one hundred percent against what Charlie had told them to do, but she was on board nonetheless. Sitting around eating Eggos had grown tiresome, anyway.

It was time to act.

Bosley vehemently shook his head. "No," He said firmly. "Absolutely not. You heard what Charlie just said."

They just had to convince Bosley of that...

Kelly heaved an irritated sigh. "I have to know, Bos!"

"And _I_ have to keep you safe," Bosley shot back. "I told Charlie I wouldn't let you girls leave my sight. Especially _you_."

Kelly defiantly crossed her arms over her chest. "So we just sit here? All together to make it easier for whoever is looking for us?"

Bosley groaned. "Kelly, he can be dangerous-"

"Well, so can I." Kelly cut him off. "Someone wants to find me? Let him find me. I'll be ready."

Bosley muttered something very ungentlemanly under his breath. He started to speak again, but fell short. "Will either of you talk some sense into her?" He cried, throwing his arms up in defeat.

Jill flashed him her most persuasive smile. The situation called for some finessing and that was her specialty. "For once, I think Kelly is making sense," She started. "What if someone is out there with plans to hurt her, or to hurt _all_ of us? Wouldn't it be better to act now and put a stop to it instead of giving them time to plan?"

"Oh, you can't be serious," Bosley moaned. He looked utterly betrayed. Sabrina was his last hope and he turned to her beseechingly. "Sabrina?"

Sabrina only cleared her throat. "I think she's right, Bos. Why should we sit here and do nothing?"

Bosley looked gobsmacked. "Because that's what your boss _told_ you to do!"

"If this is connected-" Kelly started again, her voice a bit calmer, more determined. "-if Greg Samson _is_ the one killing people from my past and it's me he's after, then the rest of you are in danger because of me." She shook her head and started moving away from them toward the door. "I'm sorry, I can't allow that. I need to know how this guy knows me and what he's after."

Bosley watched helplessly as Kelly walked past him. He might have wanted to reach out and grab her, but he wouldn't dare. "Kelly-" He called after her instead. He turned back to Jill and Sabrina for help and Jill could almost see the disbelief in his eyes when they both stood up to follow Kelly to the door.

"We'll be careful," Jill said earnestly, taking his arm as she passed. "I promise. We'll go to Kelly's and see if we can find any clues and then we'll be right back."

Bosley looked insulted. "Oh, and I'm supposed to stay here?" He huffed, pulling his arm away.

Sabrina smiled sweetly at him. "Just in case Charlie calls."

"I'm not staying here while the three of you go gallivanting around town," Bosley said firmly. "The last thing Charlie will want to hear is that I let the three of you leave by yourselves."

Jill chewed on her lip thoughtfully. She had expected him to wait here in case Charlie called. But, maybe, it would be better if Bosley went with them. She turned to her friends to see what they thought.

But before anyone could speak, Bosley pushed past her. "Wait, what am I waiting for? I don't need your permission," He huffed. Jill watched in amusement as he stuffed his feet into his worn out loafers. "If you're leaving, then I'm leaving with you."

Kelly was already at the door, looking more agitated by the second. "Fine. Let's go."

Jill trotted after her and was surprised when Sabrina took hold of her arm. "Hang on," Sabrina called out. "Charlie is sending someone with dinner for us around six, he said. We need to be back by then."

"Then we'll be back by six," Jill sighed. "What's the problem?"

"There _is_ no problem. One of us can come back if we're not done." Kelly spoke up. "All we need is someone here to open the door."

Bosley was ready to go. "Nobody goes anywhere alone." He reminded her. "We can at least do that right."

Kelly rolled her eyes tolerantly. "Two of us can come back then."

"No. We _all_ stay together." Bosley said firmly.

"Whoever Charlie sends will want to see all of us here anyway." Sabrina said. "We all need to be back by six. No..five. Just to be safe."

"It would be safe to stay here like Charlie said," Bosley grumped. But he was raking his hair into place with his fingers, heading for the door. Jill felt a pang of guilt as she watched him. They'd won again. They always won.

She waited for Sabrina to hurry up and grab her keys from the kitchen table so she could lock her door before they left. When she still hadn't moved after a few moments, Jill threw up her hands. "Well, are you coming or not?" She asked.

Sabrina only looked at her. She wasn't finished yet, Jill realized. "I kind of want to stop by the office too," She started slowly. "See if maybe we can find anything on Greg Samson over there. He may be connected to one of our previous cases. That could have been where he met Kelly."

"Oh, why not? We can make a day of it," Bosley grumbled. "Let's just hurry."

Jill was about to hurry Sabrina along again when it finally clicked as to why she was hanging back. "Oh, so you want us to split up?" She guessed. Sabrina gave her a reluctant smile and Jill knew she had guessed correctly.

"Split up?" Bosley echoed distastefully. "Haven't you heard a word I've said?"

"Two of us go in my car to Kelly's and two of go in Jill's car to the office," Sabrina explained. "We'll cover more ground and it'll take less time," She glanced at her clock. "It's almost 1:00. If we leave now we should get to wherever it is that we're going around 1:30. Whoever is at Kelly's place can call the office at 1:30 to check in. We'll get what we need and be done and back in plenty of time."

Jill looked around at her friends. Bosley remained unconvinced and Kelly, having nearly run out of patience, looked like she was ready to scream. "Sounds like a plan," Jill said, hoping to hurry things along for Kelly's sake.

"We have a plan then," Kelly said impatiently. "I'm going to my house. Who's driving me?"

Bosley let out a loud groan.

Ignoring him, Jill snatched her keys off of the end table and flounced over to Kelly's side. "I will," She turned to Sabrina. "You and Bos would be able to find things quicker at the office than I could," She noticed Sabrina's case notes lying on the coffee table. "Don't forget these."

She picked up the folder and thrust it toward Sabrina and as she did, a scrap of paper slipped out and fluttered to the floor by Bosley's feet. He reached down, picked it up and held it out for Sabrina to take.

It was the photo of Eva Rossi, Jill realized. Sabrina had stepped away to grab her keys and so Jill plucked it gently from Bosley's fingers and studied it for a moment. Eva Rossi's face – if that's who it was really was- smiled back at her and Jill felt a sudden flash of familiarity that she couldn't quite explain. She had seen this woman before, she realized, but where? A previous case, perhaps? Jill wondered about it as she handed the photo to Sabrina.

Eva Rossi's face had left her with a strange feeling that she tried her best to shake off. "Charlie is sending someone to pick that up." She reminded Sabrina. "Don't lose it."

Sabrina was already tucking it away. "Not planning on it."

Now armed with a plan, the four crowded out the door and into the hallway. They waited for Sabrina to lock the door securely behind them and then they were off.

There wasn't much to say as they walked and if there was, Jill didn't know how to start. She endured the anxious silence down the hall, during the eternity it took for the elevator doors to open and then the entire ride down to the ground level. When the elevator's doors whooshed open with a cheerful ding, Jill never thought she'd be so glad to see the dank garage of Sabrina's apartment building.

"Well, here we go," Sabrina spoke up finally, as they spilled out of the elevator. She forced a smile and gave Jill a pat on the arm. "You two be careful, huh?" She called, starting toward her car.

"Don't take any chances," Bosley added sternly. His gaze fell on Kelly and his eyes narrowed. "Especially you, young lady."

Jill forced a laugh. The mood was getting a little too tense for her liking. "We'll be careful," She promised. She widened her grin for Bosley and gave Kelly a nudge with her elbow. "Won't we, Kelly?"

"We'll be careful," Kelly agreed quickly.

"See? They'll be careful, Bos." Sabrina assured him with a soft smile. "Don't worry."

Bosley only looked at Sabrina and shook his head disapprovingly. They'd be hearing about this for weeks, Jill knew.

Before anyone could say anything else, Jill looped her arm through Kelly's and guided her away from Sabrina and Bosley toward the spot she'd parked her car, purposely not looking back to avoid the disapproving face of a certain someone. What they were doing was reckless, sure, but it felt good to be taking action instead of sitting around Sabrina's apartment eating junk food.

Jill had no clue what awaited them at Kelly's house, but she knew one thing for sure. Whatever it was, it was probably alot more interesting than peanut butter Eggos.


	14. Best Laid Plans

Lives in danger or not, Jill had been cooped up so long at Sabrina's apartment, it was an immense relief to just be outside again.

Jill felt herself relax as she navigated her Cobra out of the parking garage and into the mid-day L.A. traffic. She wasn't quite sure why disobeying Charlie and potentially walking into a dangerous situation felt so nice, but somehow it did.

Maybe it was the traffic. That felt normal enough and right now she'd take whatever kind of normal she could get her hands on.

"How you holding up, Kell?" She asked as they drove.

In the passenger seat, Kelly was sitting quietly, her arms crossed over her chest. "I don't know." She answered honestly. "Nervous, I guess."

Jill had to agree. "You're telling me. You didn't see anything weird at your place, right?"

"No, I didn't," Kelly replied, after a moment. She turned and fixed Jill with a look. "That doesn't mean someone hasn't been there though."

Jill shrugged and, not sure what else to say to that, remained silent.

It was ten till one when they finally pulled up to Kelly's house. Jill put her Cobra in park and sat idling, surveying the front of her friend's home. Aside from Kelly still having her trash can out on the curb, nothing else appeared to be out of the ordinary. Things seemed darn right pleasant around here. In the light of day, Kelly's neighborhood was much less intimidating than it had been the last time she'd been here. Down the street, she could see a woman walking her dog, a few houses from that, an older man watering his lawn. If there was something sinister waiting for them, it sure didn't feel like it.

"Where do you want to start?" Jill asked, for some reason feeling the need to whisper.

Kelly was busy digging in her purse for her keys. "Let's just get inside first."

Jill shrugged and shut off the engine.

 _So far so good_ , she thought nervously to herself as they made their way cautiously out of the car and up the walk. She peered over her shoulder as Kelly busied herself opening her front door. The street was still quiet and calm as far as she could see. No sign of anyone watching them.

At least from outside, anyway. It would be a _much_ bigger problem if someone was watching them from the inside.

That thought had just finished crossing her mind when Kelly slowly opened the door. Jill tensed, her hand resting on the smooth handle of her gun. Beside her, Kelly already had her pistol out and trained on the empty space of her living room. They let the door swing open and lazily bump up against the wall, watching and listening for anything out of the ordinary.

Kelly's living room greeted them, dark and still.

Even so, it took Kelly a good thirty seconds before she finally motioned Jill forward and slowly stepped inside. Jill followed her silently and together the two women carefully cleared the kitchen, the bathroom, and both bedrooms before Jill lowered her weapon and allowed herself to relax.

"No one's here," Jill whispered. Gratefully, she stuck her gun back in her purse and flopped down on Kelly's couch. It felt nice to sit. Maybe she was more tired than she thought.

Kelly was still on edge. "No, doesn't look like it." She muttered. She flipped on the lights and stood in the middle of the living room, staring pensively toward the kitchen. Jill watched her for a moment, wondering if she should say anything to try and loosen her up.

She decided against it. Kelly's anxiety was getting to her and suddenly it was impossible to sit any longer.

Jill popped to her feet. "I'll go check the doors and windows." She called as she passed Kelly.

Kelly barely acknowledged her. "Yeah."

Jill watched her disappear into the hallway that led to her bedroom and then focused her attention on the front door. She opened it slightly and knelt down to examine the lock. She wasn't quite sure what exactly it was that she was looking for- Kelly was the lock expert after all, not her- but as far as she knew, the locking mechanism on the door looked perfectly normal. No gouges, no scratches, nothing bent or broken.

She rose to her feet and checked the windows in the living room. It seemed that Kelly needed to do some dusting, but other than that, they looked completely undisturbed. The same went for the back door and the kitchen window. She had just climbed up on the kitchen counter to check out the little window above the sink when she heard Kelly's voice from the other room.

"Jill."

Her voice sounded calm, but Jill found her heart dropping into her stomach all the same. She scrambled down from the counter and hurried into Kelly's bedroom.

"What?" She cried breathlessly. Kelly was standing beside her bed, her eyes fixed downward, her hands resting on her hips.

She looked up as Jill came in. "The window." She said quietly. "That's how he got in."

Jill felt her heart start to beat faster as she hurried over to Kelly's big bedroom window. On first glance, it appeared perfectly normal. But she studied it a beat longer and then there it was, plain as day. Two patches on the windowsill that were completely free of the thin layer of dust that Kelly had allowed to accumulate. Almost as if someone had placed a hand or an elbow on it to hoist themselves inside. The metal edges that surrounded the window pane were bent in slightly on each side and little flecks of dirt and rust had gathered in the corners of the sill, shaken loose when it was forced open.

"Oh, shit." Jill breathed. She turned to Kelly and noticed that she was still standing by her bed, staring intently at something. "What? What else is wrong?" She followed Kelly's gaze to the edge of her bed where an old, beat up Raggedy Ann doll lay flopped over on top of a folded blanket.

She recognized Kelly's little friend immediately.

Lillibet, Kelly had named her when she was a little girl. Jill met Lillibet, by accident, for the first time while they were back at the academy. She'd tumbled out of Kelly's bag after a weekend trip and though Kelly had been a bit embarrassed at first, after a while she'd been able to laugh it off and explain. The beat up old doll had been the only thing in her possession when she'd been left at an orphanage as an infant. It had been the one constant in her life and, though she'd probably never get her to admit it, Lillibet was so important to Kelly that she _still_ slept with her when she was feeling unsure of herself or scared. Every other night, however, Lillibet stayed in her place of honor, gently perched on top of a pile of blankets in the trunk at the foot of Kelly's bed.

All of a sudden, Jill knew what was wrong.

"Let me guess, you didn't leave Lillibet out, did you?"

Kelly finally met her gaze. "No. I didn't sleep last night. I didn't even come in my room." She said quietly. "I haven't been in my room since the night we were all here. When I got that letter."

Jill felt her stomach give another turn. "I guess that about settles it why Greg sent us to San Francisco."

Kelly picked up Lillibet and gingerly tucked her under her arm. She had to be upset, but the expression on her face was unreadable. "I guess it does."

"What would he want with your doll though?" Jill wondered aloud. "That's kind of a weird thing to leave out, don't you think?"

She looked up at Kelly, that same odd expression was still on her face. "I don't know what to think," Kelly answered her. "But, I don't like this. Not one bit."

"Well, that makes two of us," Jill replied. "Three, if I can speak for Lillibet. Was anything else out of place? Or missing?"

Kelly shook her head. "Doesn't look like it. Just Lillibet." She clutched her doll closer and looked around her room. "Why all the sneaking around, I wonder? Why not just come out and… make his move? Whatever that might be."

Jill didn't know how to answer that. Instead, she stepped closer and laid a supportive hand on her friend's shoulder. "Let's maybe not ask for that. I think we've had enough surprises for one day." She said uneasily. "Hey, it's almost 1:30. Let's call the office before Bos flips out and sends the S.W.A.T. team over here."

It took a few more moments, but finally, Kelly gave a slight nod and the two women made their way back to the living room. Because Kelly was still rattled, Jill volunteered herself as the caller. She grabbed up the phone, dialed the office and listened to the line ring.

She didn't know just how anxious she was until she heard Bosley answer the phone. "Townsend Agency."

Jill let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Bos, it's me."

She heard Bosley let out a relieved sigh of his own. "Jill. How's it going over there?"

Jill glanced at Kelly, still standing quietly with Lillibet clutched against her side. "Not too good." She started slowly. "Things are getting pretty creepy around here. Someone's been in Kelly's house. They got in through her bedroom window."

"Oh, that's not good." Bosley groaned in response. Jill immediately heard Sabrina's voice in the background, impatiently asking Bosley for more information. Thankfully, he ignored her and kept talking. "Well, we've got something too." He said and the tone in his voice mad Jill's skin crawl.

"Let me guess. More uninvited guests in there too?" She asked.

"Ah, no… not exactly." Bosley started. "We'll show you when you get back to Sabrina's apartment. Kelly's gonna want to see this." He paused for a moment. "Or maybe she won't. I'll let _her_ be the judge."

Jill felt sick all over again. She glanced up at Kelly, still standing quietly with her doll. "I'll… I'll let her know."

"Head straight back to Sabrina's," Bosley told her seriously. "This Greg Samson doesn't have his peanuts and cracker jacks in the same box if you know what I mean."

Jill forced a smile. "Oh, Bos, you're making me hungry."

"I mean it, Jill." He warned. "I think we can safely say that it's Kelly that he's after. Don't let her out of your sight."

"I won't," Jill promised. "We're heading to Bri's right now. Give us a call there when you leave."

"Will do. Be careful."

Jill could hear Sabrina's voice once more as the line went dead. She breathed a soft curse and then gently hung up the phone.

"What's going on?" Kelly asked her.

Jill turned to her and raised a brow. "Well, the good news is that… we were right. Greg Samson is our guy and it's _you_ he wants. The bad news is…" She smiled sympathetically. "The bad news is that's the _only_ good news I have."

Kelly hung her head. "Lucky me." She muttered. "Did they find out why at least?"

"I didn't ask," Jill answered her, and then wondered just why in the hell she _hadn't_ pressed Bosley to find out. The look on Kelly's face told her she was probably thinking the same thing. Oh, well. "Let's get out of here. They'll meet us at Bri's and fill us in there."

Kelly was quiet for a moment. Her green eyes swept around her living room once and then twice before she sighed and started making her way toward the door. She was taking Lillibet with her, Jill noticed and thought for a moment about asking what was on her mind.

She decided against it. She'd wait until they had the whole story and take it from there.

Both anxious to find out what Bosley and Sabrina had discovered and dreading it at the same time, Jill followed Kelly out of her house and back to her car.

* * *

It was nearly three in the afternoon when Jill parked her Cobra back in the garage of Sabrina's apartment building. Though it had been disturbing to discover that Kelly was the target of some whack job, there had been no danger while visiting her home and no reason to suspect they were being followed. That, combined with driving around the city in the light of day, had emboldened her to the point where she had actually suggested to Kelly that they pick up something to eat on the way back.

Kelly had been understandably preoccupied, but she must have felt the same way – or maybe she couldn't stomach the idea of another helping of peanut butter Eggos - because she agreed. The girls picked up some hot sandwiches and sodas and made their way back, capping off a blessedly uneventful trip.

"I wish I had asked Bos what they found," Jill sighed as they climbed out of the car, probably for the fourth or fifth time, she knew. Not knowing was getting on her nerves. If it bothered Kelly though, she wasn't showing it. She had barely said a word since they'd left, preferring to stare out of her window with her doll in her lap.

"We'll find out soon enough," Came Kelly's distracted answer. She was balancing four drinks plus Lillibet in her arms. She'd felt safe enough driving around in her car, but now that they were here, Jill wanted nothing more than to get back up to the safety of Sabrina's apartment. She tried to help Kelly with the drinks, but her distracted friend didn't notice and climbed out of the car with her arms full, leaving Jill with no choice but to trot after her.

The girls were quiet during both elevator rides up to Sabrina's floor. As confident as she had felt driving around the city, Jill breathed a sigh of relief when she finally locked Sabrina's door behind them.

After a quick circuit around the small apartment to make certain they were alone, the two detectives finally relaxed at the kitchen table.

Or at least _she_ was relaxing, Jill noted. Kelly still seemed very much on edge.

Not that she could blame her.

"How you holding up?" She asked Kelly as she unwrapped her sandwich.

Kelly only shrugged. "Not so hot." She admitted. "I'm sick of all this hiding around. To tell you the truth, I wish this guy would show his face already."

"Hmm. Be careful what you wish for."

Kelly stared at her for a moment and then lowered her eyes. "It would be easier than waiting around for him."

"I guess it would," Jill replied carefully. "Gosh, I wonder what it was that Bos found at the office." She pursed her lips. "I wish I had ask-"

The look on Kelly's face stopped her. Maybe it _had_ been bugging her after all. Jill clipped off her thought and took a bite of her sandwich instead.

She had just decided on what to say to break Kelly's preoccupied silence when Kelly surprised her by breaking it first.

"I want to find him," Kelly said determinedly. "What's he so afraid of anyway?" She was anxiously drumming her fingers on the table. Her unwrapped sandwich still sat in the middle of the table, no interest at all to the agitated brunette. She paused for a moment and then fixed her eyes on Jill. "I'm going home tonight." She said decisively. "After Charlie checks up on us. I'll wait there and if he wants me, he can come over there and get me."

Jill stared at her blankly, her mouth full of sandwich.

"If he's still in town, he'll show up eventually." Kelly was still going, her voice getting darker and angrier by the second. Having someone in her home, touching her things, violating her sanctuary, had gotten to her more than Jill thought. She may have held it together in the car, but apparently, she'd reached her limit. "He doesn't have to use the window this time either. He can walk through the front door and tell me to my face what the hell he wants from me."

Jill finally forced down her mouthful. She'd have to pick her words carefully. "Okay, Kelly, I know you're upset-"

"Upset?!" Kelly blurted out angrily.

Maybe she should have picked her words even more carefully...

"No, what I meant was-"

"You're damn right I'm upset!" Kelly continued, barreling over Jill's attempts to calm her. "This guy is stalking me, looking up my past, killing people who hurt me?! Screwing around with us so he can climb through my bedroom window and go through my things! What the hell right does he have, Jill?! I don't know who he is! What right does he have _getting revenge_ for me…if…if that's what he's even doing-"

"Kelly, we don't know what he's doing." Jill tried again.

"It doesn't matter," Kelly spat. "I'm sick of it. I'd rather settle this face to face."

Jill managed to take hold of her friend's arm. She was shaking, she was so angry. "Kelly, relax." She said as calmly as she could. "I want this to stop too. But, you can't go running off by yourself."

"I can draw him out," Kelly said quickly. "We're not getting anywhere waiting aro-"

That was it.

Jill popped to her feet and got in her face. "He has killed at least _ten_ people, Kelly!" She yelled, sudden enough that Kelly took a startled step back. "Ten people! I'm _not_ going to let you go running off by yourself to become number eleven because you're too impatient to wait and do this right!"

Kelly had more to say, but Jill waved her off. "No! You need to calm down and think rationally!" She said. Surprisingly, she had Kelly's attention now. "Yes, you might be on to something about drawing this guy out. And…and maybe we can work out a plan with Charlie. But, it's something we're going to do _with_ you. Together. You can't ju-"

Her impassioned speech was cut short by the jangling of the telephone. They had expected the call, but nonetheless Jill jumped. It rang again and all both women could do was stare at it.

Finally, Jill snapped out of her trance. "Let's just wait till they get here and show us what they have." She said wearily as she crossed the room to grab the phone. "Then we'll make a plan together. I don't want to sit around any more than you do, ya know."

If Kelly had a response, Jill didn't wait to hear it. She snatched up the receiver and flopped down into the couch. "Bos?" She greeted.

"The one and only." Bosley greeted her warmly. "All safe and sound?"

Jill smirked. "Sound. Not so sure about safe." She cocked her head. "Actually, I'm not a hundred percent on 'sound' either."

Bosley chuckled. "Anything from Charlie?"

"Not since we've been here. Are you on your way?"

"We're just about to leave," Bosley answered. "We're bringing some stuff to go through. How's Kelly holding up?"

 _How to answer that…_

She glanced towards Kelly and saw her friend, now sitting moodily at the table, her chin in her hands and her sandwich still untouched. Jill forced some lightheartedness into her voice. "Couldn't be better. Hurry up and get here, please." She sang.

Bosley scoffed. "That good, huh? Alright, we'll be there in half an hour."

"Oh, and we have lunch here," Jill said brightly. "So bring your appetite."

There was a beat of quiet and in that moment Jill realized she had misspoken.

"You took Kelly and got lunch?" Came Bosley's disapproving voice.

Jill gave herself a mental slap. "Oh, well we were just-"

"You were supposed to go straight to Kelly's house and straight back to Sabrina's."

 _Goddammit._

Jill groaned. "Look, it was on the way to Bri's and it took five minutes. It's fine, Bos, just get over here."

She heard Bosley grump something under his breath, but apparently, he was willing to overlook it. "Fine. See you in half an hour."

The line went dead and, suddenly irritated, Jill made her way back to the kitchen. "They're on their way back." She said quietly as she took her seat. Kelly only nodded and since she didn't particularly look like she wanted to continue the conversation they'd been having, Jill decided to drop it as well. She finished her sandwich and the next half hour passed by in relative silence.

With her lunch finished and her only companion unwilling to talk, Jill decided that the only way to not lose her mind was to turn on the television. She had just flipped to something that might be interesting when there was an unmistakable rustling at the door.

Not that she would have admitted it for anything, but there was a moment of fear that flashed through her until the lock turned and Sabrina and Bosley's familiar voices floated to her from the door.

Greg Samson had her all up in arms, she realized in annoyance. She let out the breath she was holding, fixed her calmest, most put-together look on her face, and bounded up to meet them.

"Any trouble?" Jill greeted her friends.

Sabrina let out a sarcastic laugh as she bolted the door behind her. "Not for us." She peered over Jill's shoulder to catch a glimpse of Kelly, still seated at the kitchen table. "For her, maybe."

"For her, definitely." Bosley grumped. He made his way past Jill and headed straight for the kitchen. "Nothing from Charlie?"

Kelly answered before Jill could. "No, nothing." She said quickly. "Alright, so tell me how doomed I am. What's in that folder?"

Bosley sat down at the table and the sight of the wrapped sandwiches made him momentarily forget all about the folder. "Is this mine?" He asked excitedly.

"Yes." Kelly sighed. She swept the sandwich toward him, then reached forward to snag the folder away.

"We started going through some files of cases we worked on in the last few months." Sabrina started as she and Jill took their seats at the table. Kelly was already rifling through the folder's contents. "We couldn't find his name anywhere, but wouldn't you know it we found his picture."

Kelly stopped pawing through the folder and looked up, clearly annoyed "Where?"

Sabrina reached across the table and patiently tugged the folder from her hands. "Give me a second and I'll show you." She flipped through a few pages and then slid out an 8x10 photograph.

Jill leaned forward so she could study it with Kelly.

 _What the hell was this?_

Jill immediately pulled a face. She'd been expecting to be looking at a picture of Greg, but while she did recognize the photo immediately, it wasn't because he was in it. Instead, her own face grinned back up at her in black and white, Sabrina and Kelly both smiling at either side of her. Bosley had snapped the picture at the little get together Ross McNeil, the liquor store owner, had thrown his employees to celebrate the successful end of their last case.

All that mystery and it was this stupid photo from a couple weeks ago?

"What are we looking at?" Jill asked in frustration. "This is us at that party."

Sabrina smiled and scooted forward. "That's right. This _is_ us at that party-" She agreed. She tapped her index finger on the photo and slid it from Jill's smiling face to someone standing in the background.

"-and this is _Greg Samson_ at that same party."

Simultaneously, Jill and Kelly both leaned even closer.

Jill gasped.

There he was, the sneaky bastard!

He had his head turned and half of his body was obscured, but Jill knew him instantly. It was without a doubt Greg Samson, standing in the background of this picture, weeks before he was supposed to have been in Los Angeles.

Kelly brushed Sabrina's hand off of the photo so she could pick it up to study closer. She did so several seconds longer, brows furrowed in concentration, before she finally slapped it back onto the table. "So he's been in L.A. for at _least_ three weeks. Probably longer."

"Ugh," Jill groaned. Seeing Greg there, an unwelcome guest to what she thought was a carefree moment with her friends, left her feeling violated. "How does that prove that he's after Kelly, though?" She asked.

Sabrina was already in the process of answering that question, she realized. "I'll show you." She had flipped open the folder again and was busily making a small stack of documents to her right.

"What is that?" Kelly asked her impatiently.

"After we found that picture, we paid a visit to Mr. Ross McNeil." Bosley started explaining through a mouthful of sandwich. Kelly turned to him intently as he spoke, her mouth set in a grim line.

"McNeil." Kelly repeated. "The liquor store guy. And _he_ knows Greg Samson?"

Sabrina had located whatever it was she was looking for. She slapped down a sheet of notebook paper and slid it directly in front of Kelly and, not wanting to be left out, Jill scooted back over so she could have a look too.

"No, not exactly," Sabrina started. "But, when we showed him Greg's picture, he said he definitely remembered the guy. Said he'd seen him around even before we were working his case, that'd he'd come in every so often and buy a few bottles of wine or liquor. Remembered him as a real chatty kind of guy, big spender." She patted the stack of papers to her right. "He gave us copies of his receipts and the earliest one dates all the way back to June." She fixed Jill with a look. "So, he's been here way longer than three weeks."

Jill made a face. "Ugh. So, what does he want?"

Sabrina gave a sarcastic laugh. "Kelly, apparently. The day of the party, he came up after we'd left and started asking McNeil quite a bit of questions about 'the pretty brunette' who was here with the other two girls. The one with-"

Kelly made a face. "You're a brunette too. How do you know he was talking ab-"

"The one with the green eyes." Sabrina finished. She batted her eyelashes, her point made. "Sound like anyone we know?"

Kelly deflated a bit before continuing to read, those green eyes wandering back and forth through the lines of text Sabrina had written. Jill read along with her, question after question about increasingly intrusive information.

 _What's her name?_

 _How old is she?_

 _Where does she work?_

 _Who are those other girls with her?_

 _Is that old guy her husband/ boyfriend?_

 _Do you know if she's involved with anyone?_

 _Did she seem like a good person?_

 _What part of town does she live in?_

As Kelly read, Sabrina gestured toward the notebook paper. "Those were all the questions he remembered good old Greg asking about you. I put a check-mark next to the ones he was able to answer."

Kelly finished reading and looked up, agitated and confused. "Just about me? Not any about the rest of us?"

"Just about you," Bosley answered her, his eyes narrowing. "Mr. McNeil said he seemed _very_ taken with you." He glanced at the list of questions and huffed. " _Old guy_. Puh."

Jill could mend his hurt pride later. "Well, why the hell didn't McNeil say anything?" She spoke up. "This guy comes creeping around asking a ton of personal information about Kelly and he doesn't think to give us a call? He took the time to mail us individual thank you cards, why wouldn't he mention this? You think he'd of let us know."

Bosley grumped. "Apparently not. Said he just thought he was some guy who had a thing for her. Maybe wanted to ask her out."

"Oh, I'd say he wants a lot more than that." Jill sighed. Feeling extremely uneasy, she rose from her seat to pace the kitchen."So, did he just happen to see Kelly at that party? Did we meet him while we were on that case and we just don't remember?"

Sabrina shrugged. "That's what we don't know."

"So, he's been in L.A. for months," Kelly said quietly. "He's been following us at _least_ since that party. It could even be longer, we have no idea. The only person who could answer that is Greg Samson."

Sabrina gave her a look. "Shame we can't just ask him."

"Who says we can't? We need to talk to Greg Samson." Kelly went on. Too agitated to sit now, she pushed herself to her feet. Jill was re-reading the questions on the list Sabrina had jotted down when Kelly suddenly snatched it away and angrily balled it up in her fists. " _I_ need to talk to Greg Samson."

Jill jumped back in surprise. "No, no, no. You need to stay very far _away_ from Greg Samson and let us-"

"No!" Kelly cried suddenly. She flung the balled up piece of paper back to the table. It skidded along its surface and sailed to the floor by a very startled Bosley's feet. "I'm done being someone's fucking target!"

Jill caught Sabrina's worried look.

"Kelly, I know –" Sabrina started calmly, rising from her seat to pacify her.

"No, you _don't_ know!" Kelly shot back. "I'm…I'm sick of this! He wants me so bad, he knows where he can find me." She stalked away from the table and into the living room.

Going for her purse, Jill realized. She jumped to her feet and ran to block the door. She wasn't sure how exactly she'd keep Kelly inside, but maybe Sabrina or Bosley would talk some sense into her before it came to that.

Or maybe only Sabrina would be of any help. Bosley appeared to be rooted to his spot. "Uh, Kelly? What… what are you doing?" He asked her nervously.

"Jill can tell you."

Two pairs of accusing eyes found Jill and the surprised blonde felt her face go white.

"Whoa… no, I didn't plan anything with-" Jill sputtered. "Kelly, you're not putting this on me!"

Kelly had found her purse and was approaching the door. "Move, Jill. I have to go."

Jill didn't budge. Instead, she found Sabrina and Bosley's very confused gaze. "Okay, she wants to go to her house alone to draw Greg Samson out." Kelly made at attempt at the door and Jill snatched the doorknob as hard as she could, raising her voice as she did. "But, since that is a _stupid idea_ -" She stared Kelly dead in the eye. "We will go and wait _with_ her, that way if Greg Samson _does_ come, she won't end up murdered and stuffed in the trunk of her own car!"

"If you go with me, he won't come." Kelly snapped. "Get out of the way."

Jill only grabbed the doorknob harder. "He doesn't have to know we're there!" She shot back angrily. "But, you aren't going by yourself!"

Just when she thought things were going to get physical, Sabrina suddenly had hold of Kelly from behind. Kelly tried to jerk away, but then Bosley was there too, looking completely out of his element, but grabbing a firm hold of Kelly's arms just the same.

"What are you doing?!" Kelly cried angrily. She tried to twist free, but Sabrina and Bosley held her tight.

 _This is going so well_ , Jill thought darkly. She joined the struggle and Kelly was quickly overpowered. The three of them wrestled her back towards the couch and forced her down and as angry as Kelly was, she knew a pointless fight when she saw it.

"Okay, okay!" She snapped, shrugging Sabrina off of her. Kelly managed to jerk her wrist out of her grip. "Let go of me!"

Still looking completely lost, Bosley was the first to back off. Jill was about to yell at him for doing so, but to her surprise, Kelly had stopped fighting them.

"Not until you calm down!" Sabrina yelled at her.

Kelly glared at her. "I'm calm!" She yelled right back, most uncalmly. She noticed Jill, her forearm still pressed against her shoulder and jerked away. "Let go, Jill!"

This time, Jill let her go. She took a step away from her and the four of them fell into a tense silence, panting as they caught their breath.

"Look-" Kelly started, her voice still angry but much calmer now. "-I'm not going to be a target anymore. And I'm not going to put the rest of you in danger. I'm going to go home and if Greg Samson is watching me, he'll follow." She started to get up and Jill felt herself tense up for another battle.

"No!" Sabrina warned and Kelly froze. "Sit down."

To Jill's surprise, instead of another fight erupting, Kelly only rolled her eyes and sat back down, both hands up in mock surrender.

"There. I'm sitting." Kelly sighed. "See?"

Sabrina stayed on guard. "Yeah, I see. You stay right there."

"I'm not moving!" Kelly snapped at her. "Just listen to me. If I can get Greg Samson to come to me, then that saves us the trouble of tearing the city apart trying to find him."

"That saves _him_ a whole lot of trouble too, Kelly," Sabrina said sternly. "We don't _want_ him to find you. That's the whole idea."

She wasn't getting anywhere with Sabrina so she looked to Jill. "You know I'm right. Do you want to stay holed up in Sabrina's apartment until we find him? Do you, Bosley? What if it takes weeks? Are we just going into hiding until then?"

Jill breathed a soft curse under her breath and stared beseechingly upward. "Kelly, I already went over this with you." She groaned.

"You said it was a good idea."

Jill snapped her eyes back toward Kelly. "No, I _didn't_. I said drawing him out _might_ be a good idea. You using yourself as bait is the _opposite_ of a good idea."

"Kelly, listen, she's right." Sabrina started, finally calm. "You have a good idea, but there's a better way to do it. We can head out before you, stake your place out, find somewhere to hide where Greg Samson won't know we're there. And if he comes, we'll be there. The cops will be there and you won't get hurt."

Kelly stared at her. "Cops?" She echoed. "We can't call the cops. What has he really done that we can prove, huh? He asked if I was single? They can't lock him up for that."

"He's murdered ten people, Kelly," Bosley spoke up finally. He was still staring at Kelly as if he didn't know her. "Whatever he's got planned for you, it isn't good."

"And we just tell the cops that all these dead people are connected to me and that's why Greg Samson killed them?" Kelly asked him angrily. "You think they'll buy that? I'm the one they're gonna lock up if-"

Jill wanted to scream. "Then what do you want to do?!"

"I _told_ you what I want to do!" Kelly cried. "I want to wait for him and draw him out!"

Completely out of patience, Jill turned to Sabrina. She very much looked like she wanted to smack some sense into Kelly, but she would be able to reason with her. She always could.

"Fine," Sabrina said quietly after a moment. "But, we do it the right way."

Kelly balked. "And what way is that?"

"We go _with_ you. We hide out. If he shows, we'll be there to protect you."

"Tonight." Kelly looked determined.

Tonight?

Jill looked doubtfully at first Bosley and then Sabrina. There was no way Sabrina would go along with this lunatic idea.

Finally, Sabrina heaved a big sigh.

"Yeah. Tonight."


	15. The Stakeout

**_14 minutes away from_**

 ** _Monday, November 15th_**

Jill fought back a yawn and shifted impatiently in her seat. Her legs were cramped, her shoulders felt stiff and she'd given up on her back ever being in a comfortable position over an hour ago. She heaved a miserable sigh and looked at her watch.

"It's 11:45, Jill," Sabrina muttered suddenly, startling Jill and making her jump. "Just like it was the last time you looked at your watch. Ten seconds ago."

Jill glared at her. "I can't help it," She huffed. "And it's 11:46 for your information."

Sabrina only rolled her eyes. She wasn't happy about this. She never had been.

And as unhappy as Sabrina had been, it wasn't even in the same _league_ with how unhappy Charlie had been. Jill cringed at the memory. Any other job and she'd have found herself immediately unemployed.

In a fit of lunacy that Jill still struggled to understand, Sabrina actually agreed to Kelly's needlessly reckless plan. There had only been one condition: to do it right and let Charlie know what was happening. Surprisingly, Kelly agreed and with Bosley worriedly pacing the floor looking like he was about to vomit, they'd gotten Charlie on the phone.

He hadn't yelled or screamed, but all the same Jill had never heard him so displeased with them. Of course, given the circumstances, they'd had to admit to their little afternoon jaunt. But, the information they had gathered wasn't to be taken lightly. Once Kelly informed Charlie about her plan, he agreed something had to be done.

So here they were, five houses down, sitting in Jill's car. Luckily, one of Kelly's neighbors had agreed to let them park there for the night. It looked much less conspicuous than parking on the curb and it gave them a clear line of sight to Kelly's front door.

Bosley had already snuck into Kelly's house hours ago through the back door- just in case the house was being watched- and was sitting out of sight somewhere. Kelly was waiting in her living room, probably beside herself with frustration as they waited for Greg Samson to make his appearance. They'd been here since a little past 7:30 and as of yet, he was a no-show.

"Anything yet?" Jill ignored Sabrina's irritated muttering as she tried the radio again. It had probably been less than five minutes since the last time she'd asked, but Sabrina was in a mood, and without anyone to talk to in the car, Jill was going crazy with boredom. Besides, she was worried.

She wasn't in the house and had no clue what was going on in there. Greg Samson could sneak in through a back window and she wouldn't know it until it was too late.

"No, Jill. Nothing yet," Kelly's voice crackled through the radio first. She sounded surprisingly patient.

Bosley came through next. "Nothing here, either."

The intersection a few houses to her right suddenly lit up as a car approached. The girls froze for a split second, before immediately scrambling down into their seats and out of sight.

"Someone's coming," Jill whispered into the radio. She dropped it and peeked over the top of her seat. One by one, the houses behind them were suddenly washed in the pale headlights of the car that had just turned onto the street. The car, a green or blue sedan – Jill couldn't tell in the dark- began to slow as it passed by the driveway they were sitting in.

"Coming your way," Jill whispered quickly.

"Shh," Sabrina scolded her.

"He can't hear us, Sabrina!" Jill snapped at her.

"Shh!"

Together the two women watched as the green or blue sedan slowly drove down Kelly's street…

Then kept driving past her house and down the entire street. It turned left at the next intersecting street and was gone.

The girls were quiet for a moment before Jill sighed and raised the radio to her face. But before she could do anything else, she felt it roughly snatched away.

"Hey!"

"False alarm," Sabrina vented into the radio. "We're just jumping at our own shadows over here."

"Where did it go?" Bosley's voice asked them and Jill wasn't sure if he was irritated or relieved.

Sabrina groaned. "I don't know. Home. Wherever people go when it's almost midnight. Doesn't matter, it was probably someone who lives around here."

"You think Greg could know that you're watching my house?" Kelly's voice this time. And not the first time she'd asked that question either. No one seemed to be getting after _her_ for repeating herself though, Jill thought glumly.

Sabrina muttered a few curses under her breath before pressing the talk button. "I don't know, Kelly. We were pretty careful. Maybe, he's not coming tonight."

A few moments of silence and then the radio crackled to life again.

"Then I'll wait here until he does."

Sabrina didn't reply. She tossed the radio to Jill and then heaved a big, annoyed sigh. "Why did I let her talk me into this?" She muttered. Not for the first time. Nobody was getting mad at _her_ for it either. "We'll never get her back to my place now."

"Well, didn't you say this was better than just sitting around doing nothing," Jill said defensively. Almost immediately, she regretted her choice of words.

"Yeah, sitting around doing nothing would be a _real_ waste of time, wouldn't it? Yeah, let's not do _that_ ," Sabrina grumbled sarcastically.

Jill shoved her shoulder in annoyance. "Jesus Christ, I thought _Kelly_ was the impatient one!" She snapped at her. "We've been gone since last night! It might take a few days for him to notice that she's home again!"

She was all geared up for a heated argument and was mildly confused when Sabrina only flopped back in her seat and sighed. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. I'm sorry, Jill."

All the wind went out of Jill's sails. "I…what?"

"I said, you're right," Sabrina muttered. "This was a long shot to begin with. We're probably going to have to all hide out in Kelly's house. It might take all week before he realizes she's home."

Jill stared at her. "It…it might."

"And he might not come at all," Sabrina was talking more to herself than to her, but Jill was just glad they weren't fighting. "Maybe he wants to stay at a distance. Maybe he doesn't plan to hurt her."

"Do you really believe that?" Jill asked skeptically. "The creepy way he was asking questions about her to Mr. McNeil?"

Sabrina closed her eyes and let her head thump back into the seat. "I don't know _what_ to believe, Jill. I just don't like sitting here in the dark and letting Kelly and Bos be in danger. If they're even _in_ danger."

"Then we can _all_ be in the house," Jill offered. She squirmed, noticing her leg had fallen asleep. Again. "At least it would be more comfortable that way."

Sabrina let out a little laugh. "At least."

The two women sat in a mostly moody silence for what felt like an eternity. It was almost a relief when the sky began to lighten as dawn approached.

Sabrina wearily reached over and plucked the radio from Jill's lap. "Look, it's pretty quiet over here. We're coming over," She said and then shoved it in her purse without waiting for an answer. "I think we're done here. Come on, Jill."

Jill felt just as done as Sabrina was. Mutely, she climbed out of the car and followed her friend down the sidewalk. After an entire night of being cramped in her car, it felt nice to stretch her legs. It was still just as quiet when they made it to Kelly's house and knocked on the door.

It opened almost immediately and Bosley's face peered out at them. He looked about as sleep deprived as Jill felt.

"Good morning, ladies," He said drolly. "Won't you come in?"

Jill giggled and followed Sabrina into the living room where Kelly was still sitting on the couch, and still looking very much on edge. Her gun was resting on the coffee table in front of her and the look on her face said she was not at all happy with the outcome of their little stakeout.

She looked up and must have caught the defeated looks on everyone's face because she shook her head in determination. "Just because he didn't come during the night doesn't mean he won't come." She said defensively.

Jill glanced at Bosley and caught the look he was giving her. She wondered briefly how much fun he'd had stuck at Kelly's house with her all night. Probably not too much if she really had to guess.

"Easy, Kell," Sabrina said quietly. "I think you're right. I also think that if he _does_ come, we shouldn't be five houses down."

Kelly furrowed her brow. "Where then?"

"We'll all stay here," Sabrina went on.

"Oh, good. A party," Bosley muttered sarcastically so that only Jill could hear. She immediately blew his cover by snickering into her hand.

The sudden noise had Kelly and Sabrina both staring at her and Jill quickly made herself sober up.

 _Damn you, Bosley._

Luckily for him, they chose to ignore her outburst.

"How will we see someone coming if we're all in here?" Kelly asked, rising to her feet.

Sabrina hadn't thought that far ahead apparently. She mulled it over for a second and then shrugged. "I don't know," A tired smile suddenly lit up her face. "Hey, maybe one of us can get up on the roof. You know, like in Mission: Impossible. We'll take turns."

Bosley made a face, not quite trusting that she was joking and Jill started to laugh again.

"The roof?" He echoed, very confused.

"Yeah. You know, the roof," Sabrina repeated with a grin. She pointed upward as if not knowing where the roof was had been Bosley's problem.

It must not have sounded as ridiculous to Kelly as it had to Jill and Bosley. Either that or she was pretty desperate because she nodded slowly and then checked out of the conversation.

Sabrina gave her an odd look and, probably because she was more tired than she thought, that made Jill dissolve into another fit of giggles. "I'm kidding. We'll think of something," That settled, Sabrina flopped down into Kelly's couch. "We should call Charlie."

Composed now, Jill looked up at Bosley. "It's not too early for him, is it?"

"Charlie is a very early riser," Bosley said cheerfully. "That or he never sleeps. I still haven't figured it out."

Sabrina gave him a humorless chuckle. She grabbed up the phone, yawned loudly and then started dialing. "After this, we should probably take turns sleeping. Won't do any good if Greg shows up and we've all fallen asleep on our feet."

Jill caught Sabrina's bug and yawned as well. "I can take the first watch," She offered.

"No," Kelly spoke up. "I'm not tired and I've had a more comfortable place to sit all night than you have. _I'll_ take the first watch."

Jill looked at her for a moment and all of a sudden felt a wave of pity for her friend. It would be hard to sleep knowing someone had been in your home and might still be out there somewhere, still watching you, waiting for a chance. She shuddered. Kelly may have had a more comfortable seat last night, but she'd had a rough few nights and she wasn't thinking straight. She'd need to take a break soon. But, there would be no point arguing with her. There never was. "Alright, Kelly," Jill relented.

Maybe she could convince her to lie down later.

"Good morning, angels," Charlie's impossibly well-rested voice greeted them from the speaker box, snapping Jill's attention back where it needed to be. It might as well have been two in the afternoon for him, Jill thought enviously as she joined in the ritualistic "Good morning" chorus that greeted him. No sleepy morning voice from him. "To what do I owe this early morning call?"

"Oh, just seemed like a good way to end an uneventful night," Sabrina answered for them.

"Nothing at all?" Charlie asked.

"Not a thing, Charlie," Bosley chimed in. "Jury's still out on whether that's a good thing or not."

"We're planning to stay here and keep waiting, though," Kelly added stubbornly. "I think he'll show his face eventually."

"Be sure that you're ready when he does," Charlie replied. "You have the police waiting the moment you see any sign of him. The very moment. I don't want any of you engaging this man or taking chances that you don't need to take."

They'd already gone over that. He was speaking very purposefully and the reiteration was for Kelly, Jill knew. For someone who had never met her in person, Charlie knew her well. He'd chosen her for a reason, after all. She was brave and acted well under pressure but, sometimes her ability to see the shortest distance between point A and point B resulted in her doing things that were too reckless for her own good. Jill studied her friend's face. She had gotten Charlie's point. Maybe she didn't look too happy about it, but the message was delivered.

"Got it, Charlie," Kelly said, without emotion.

"Good," Charlie said cheerfully. "Now, I had some people researching the names on the list that Kelly gave me yesterday evening. I've still a ways to go, but so far, no one seems to stick out."

Kelly flipped a hand toward the speaker box as if Charlie could see it. _"See?!"_ her face seemed to say. "I didn't think they would, Charlie."

"It never hurts to be thorough," Charlie said quickly. "I do believe that we are dealing with Gregory Samson alone."

Jill leaned forward. "Anything come up with the picture, Charlie?"

"Ah," Charlie replied. "I was just getting to that."

"Oh yeah?" Sabrina piped up, looking a bit surprised.

She wasn't the only one. Jill had halfway thought that Greg had just given them a dummy picture. Eager to know what Charlie found, she scooted forward.

"Seems like Kelly was right about the picture being from a high school yearbook. I had a contact in New York City cross check the uniform the girl was wearing and he matched it to one used in a public high school in the early fifties. From there it was just a matter of checking the names of some graduating classes from that school. Greg Samson was telling the truth about that much at least. The girl in the picture _is_ one Eva Caterina Rossi. George Washington High School, class of 1953. Or would have been, had she graduated. That picture was taken her sophomore year in 1951. She must be about sixteen in that picture making her forty or forty one now."

Jill furrowed her brow. "What did you mean by 'Had she graduated'? Do you mean she dropped out or…you know…"

"I _don't_ know, Jill," Charlie admitted. "Though I wish I did. The school records had her being held back due to excessive absences. She never showed up the following school year and she was automatically unenrolled. Her trail seems to end there."

"So what we don't know is if that trail ever crossed paths with Greg Samson," Sabrina sighed. "Wonderful."

"If that's even his real name," Jill lamented.

"Here's something else you may find interesting. The photo you gave me had an inscription on the back of it."

"I remember. Half of it was worn off," Jill replied.

"I had a friend take a look at it to see if he could find a way to make out what was originally written."

"And?" Sabrina asked curiously. "Don't tell me he found some way to read what it said."

"He did!" Charlie answered her brightly. "Never underestimate the power of technology! He couldn't get all of it, mind you. But there was enough of an indentation in the paper to be able to tell that the photo was originally signed 'Dear Marcus'." He paused for a moment. "Ring any bells?"

Kelly rubbed her face as if she was warding off an impending headache. "Marcus Solomon," She said wearily. "That has to be Greg's real name. It fits too perfectly."

"Charlie-" Sabrina asked, looking thoughtful. "When exactly did Marcus Solomon vanish into thin air? Could it be 1951?"

Jill caught on quickly, surprised she hadn't thought of it herself. Sabrina could be on to something.

"Could it be?" Charlie mused. He went quiet and Jill could hear the audible shuffling of papers and the squeak of Charlie's chair as he looked up his notes. She looked around the room and saw her friends staring expectantly at the speaker box, anxiously awaiting to see if Sabrina's hunch was correct.

Finally, Charlie came back on the line. "1951," He confirmed. "And only a month before Eva Rossi appears to have dropped out of school."

Sabrina looked up triumphantly. "Meaning, they may have gone into hiding together. At least that would explain why you couldn't find anything on Eva Rossi besides school records."

"Well, what about Dave Taylor?" Kelly asked. "And the kid?"

Charlie cleared his throat. "I've yet to find a Dave Taylor that matches the man we were looking for. Again, the only Dave Taylor it could possibly be left New York City in the early fifties."

"Maybe he was just a dummy name Greg gave us to keep the heat off of him?" Sabrina offered with a shrug. "Maybe he made up the kid too."

"Could be," Charlie conceded. "Possibly to keep his true relationship with Eva Rossi under his hat."

Bosley nodded thoughtfully. "A real Bonnie and Clyde situation."

"That very well could be," Charlie said thoughtfully. "Let me look into that possibility. I'll be in touch later this afternoon. Are the four of you planning on staying at Kelly's house today?"

The four in question looked up at each other before giving a mutual shrug.

"Looks like it, Charlie," Bosley had nominated himself spokesperson of the group. "We'll lay low. Make it look like she's alone here," He turned to give Kelly a grim smile. "Maybe, we'll get lucky and he'll show up tonight."

Jill rolled her eyes. "Oh, how lucky _that_ would be."

"Then, I'll leave you to it," Charlie said after a moment. "Stay together, stay alert. If I manage to track down any information about a possible love interest for Greg Samson, I'll let you know. Take care."

The group chorused their goodbyes and the line went dead.

"Well-" Sabrina said cheerfully. "That's that," She clapped her hands together and looked around the room. "Should we draw straws or something to see who sleeps first?"

Kelly rose from her seat. "I already said I was taking first watch," She announced decisively and headed into the kitchen. "I'm not the only one that could use some coffee, am I?" Her voice called.

The mention of coffee seemed to pique Bosley's interest. "No, you most certainly are not," He called after her. He must have felt the sudden urge to go help because he rose to his feet with a groan and disappeared into the kitchen after her.

Jill chuckled and then turned to Sabrina, still perched on the armrest of Kelly's couch, looking exceptionally thoughtful. "What's on your mind?" She chanced.

Sabrina looked as if the question had woken her. "Oh, nothing," She answered after a second. "Just thinking."

"About what?" Jill asked curiously, plopping down next to her friend on the couch.

"About all these pieces of the same puzzle," Sabrina mused. "Kelly, and Greg, and Beamish, and Eva Rossi, all those foster parents. Just floating around. You know they're supposed to connect, but…" She trailed off and gave Jill a shrug. "But how, you know?"

Jill shrugged back. "Nope. Wish I did."

"Yeah, me too," Sabrina muttered. She closed her eyes and, sensing Sabrina wanted time to think, Jill leaned back into the couch and decided to rest a bit. From the kitchen she could hear the sounds of Kelly putting on the coffee and her and Bosley's voices. Whatever they were talking about, it was light hearted, because she could hear Kelly giggling over the rush of water from the sink.

Bosley always knew what to say, Jill thought fondly. Better she laugh now, because Jill had a feeling that laughter was going to be very hard to come by in the next few days.

* * *

 ** _Still Monday, November 15th (but not for long)_**

By 11:30 that night, Jill would have been surprised if she could ever laugh again.

Of all the things that could happen to them, Kelly's neighbors down the street seemed to be throwing a party tonight. There were several cars lined up on both sides of the street, people ambling about on the sidewalks and music loud enough that she could hear it from inside Kelly's house.

Jill felt the bass pounding in her ears, rattling her brain. The extra witnesses down the street could either completely scare off Greg Samson or the extra distraction those people provided could embolden him to make his move. It could go either way and despite the light-hearted atmosphere the loud music was providing, Kelly's house was thick with tension.

"Maybe we should stop by and ask them for a beer," Jill mused, sprawled on her back on the floor.

Sabrina looked up from the book she was reading. "Kelly said she thinks it's a welcome home party. Guy just got out of rehab."

Jill sighed. Of course. "Some Ovaltine then. And cake."

Despite herself, Sabrina chuckled. "I think Kelly's got some cookies in her pantry if you've got a sweet tooth. Or better yet, go ask Kelly to _bake_ you some cookies."

"That'll go over well," Jill grumbled. She managed to talk Kelly into getting a few hours of sleep earlier today, but she was still on edge and her fuse was running short. The loud party had shortened it considerably. "She's liable to stick my head in the oven."

"At least you wouldn't hear the music from there," Sabrina replied, not even bothering to look up from her book.

Jill groaned and rolled over onto her stomach. It had been a long day and she was bored, cranky, and tired. She rested her face in the plush carpet of Kelly's guest room and closed her eyes for a moment. "Do you want some more coffee?" She asked wearily, more out of boredom than a need for a hot drink.

Finally, Sabrina set down her book. She looked thoughtful before nodding her head. "Yeah, I could go for another cup. I'm sure Kelly and Bos could too."

"Oh, I'm sure," Jill yawned, pushing herself to her feet. "Then Kelly can be pissed off _and_ caffeinated."

Sabrina laughed. "Cut her some slack. She has a lot to be pissed off about."

"Yeah, I know she does. So do I," Jill grumbled, padding out of the room. She made her way into the living room where Bosley had somehow convinced Kelly to sit down and play cards with him. They both looked up expectantly when Jill entered so she fixed them with her most reassuring grin.

"Just visiting. Whatcha playing?" She asked innocently.

"Well, I'm playing rummy," Bosley answered haughtily. "I'm not quite sure yet what she's playing."

Kelly flopped her hand down. "I'm playing rummy too. I'm just losing."

"Got dealt a bad hand, huh?" Jill commented.

Bosley gave an indignant gasp as if he'd just been insulted. "Are you bringing my dealing into question?" he asked.

Jill laughed. "I would never," And it probably wasn't his dealing at all. Kelly wasn't paying any attention to what she was doing. "Anyway, Bri is falling asleep. Can I make some coffee?"

Kelly looked grateful for the distraction. "Yeah, I'll help you," She popped to her feet and laid her cards on the coffee table. "Sorry, Bos. I fold for now."

"Ah ha! You've been playing _poker_ this whole time. I knew something was wrong," Bosley joked, sweeping them up.

Smiling, Kelly shook her head and led Jill into the kitchen.

"What's on your mind?" Jill asked quietly as soon as they were alone. It had to be _something_ , it wasn't like Kelly really needed to show her around her kitchen. Even on her worst day she was more than capable of making a pot of coffee by herself.

"Nothing," Kelly answered her. She opened the pantry and pulled out the coffee can. "Just…I want this to be over," She admitted. "And Bos is treating me like a bomb that might go off. It's driving me crazy."

Jill raised a brow. "Well, he saw you explode last night. Can you blame him?"

"No," Kelly sighed guiltily. "I can't blame him."

She was fiddling with the coffee can while they spoke and Jill laid a hand on her arm to stop her. "Look, he just doesn't want you worrying yourself sick about this," Jill explained patiently, once she had Kelly's attention. "Neither do me and Sabrina. We're gonna catch this guy and get you some answers, don't worry. It just might take longer than you want it to."

Kelly went back to scooping coffee. "I know. I'm just not sure how much longer I can wait."

Jill grinned at her. "Maybe long enough to learn how to play a decent hand of rummy?" She ignored Kelly's sarcastic laugh. "Seriously! If you would just sit down for more than five minutes and pay attention, I bet Bos could even teach you how to play bridge. You know, he used to play with-"

Her story about Bosley's days of being forced to be his mother's bridge partner shredded into a startled shriek.

Someone was banging on the front door.

Kelly recovered before she did, dropping her spoon and bolting out of the kitchen. Jill hurried after her. She was already standing at the front door, gun in hand by the time Jill made it into the living room. There were playing cards scattered all over the carpet and Sabrina and Bosley were taking their places on either side of the door. Sabrina was holding both of their guns, Jill realized. She frantically waved her over and Jill rushed to her, snatched up her gun and edged herself along the wall a few feet away.

"Hey! Open up!"

Jill felt a tightness creeping into her throat. It was a man's voice.

More banging. "Open up in there! I know you're up, all the lights are on!"

Kelly gripped her gun tightly in one hand. "Who's there?" She called sternly.

"It's me!" The man's voice yelled angrily. "Sam Connor! From across the street!"

While Jill watched anxiously, Kelly paused for a moment and then, much to Jill's surprise, lowered her gun.

"Mr. Connor," She called, a strange tone to her voice. "It's after midnight. What do you want?"

"Just open up!" The voice pleaded and then Jill heard it. Or rather didn't hear it. There was no New York accent, it wasn't Greg Samson's voice on the other side of the door and while she didn't know this voice's owner, Kelly clearly did. She glanced at her friends, hiding out of sight and then unlocked the door, muttering a steady stream of curses under her breath.

Just in case, Jill kept her gun ready. Kelly opened the door and a tall, balding man in a Rams T-shirt and pajama bottoms appeared in Kelly's doorway. About as far a cry from Greg Samson as cries could get.

"What are you doing banging on people's doors in the middle of the night?" Kelly asked him heatedly. "You scared me to death."

Sam Connor raised both hands to pacify her. "Sorry, my wife has been nagging me all night. Won't let me get any sleep," He jerked his head to the right. "She wants you to go over and tell them to cut out all that racket so decent people can sleep around here."

Kelly looked bewildered. "What?"

"You're a cop, aren't you?" Connor sighed in frustration. He gestured toward Kelly's gun, still clutched in her right hand. "Go tell them to shut up!"

The look on Kelly's face told Jill that she might be very much considering whether or not she could get away with shooting Sam Connor right now. "I'm not a cop anymore," She explained angrily. "I'm a private investigator."

Connor looked unconvinced. "Well, you got that gun, don't you? And…you got some kind of badge, right?"

"No, I don't have a badge." Kelly sighed. "If I go over there with a gun, _I'll_ be the one getting arrested."

"There isn't anything you can do?!" Connor asked helplessly.

"I can call the cops and report a noise disturbance," Kelly shot back. "So can you. Goodnight, Mr. Connor."

Connor turned on his heels, grumbling. "Some help _you_ are," He tossed over his shoulder as he stormed down the walkway.

Kelly slammed the door shut and, letting out a long breath, let her head thud against it.

"Neighborhood watch?" Sabrina joked nervously, as everyone rose to their feet in relief.

Jill's heart was still pounding in her chest. "You know, the music is pretty loud. You can probably shoot him and no one will hear it," She offered helpfully. She was hoping she could get a chuckle out of Kelly, but her sudden silence said otherwise.

"I can't do this anymore," Kelly muttered after a moment, her head still in the crook of her elbow. "This…this was a stupid idea. This isn't working."

"Not yet," Jill tried to reassure her. "Just give it-"

"Give it a few more days?!" Kelly snapped, whirling on her. Her voice was choked and Jill was surprised to see her eyes red and glassy. "Is that what you were gonna say? I can't wait around for a few more days, what the hell is he waiting for?!"

Jill sighed. "Kelly…" She tried to calm her.

As if expecting a repeat from last night, Bosley and Sabrina moved forward, ready for anything. But Kelly only turned away. She stood quietly, arms crossed tightly across her chest, taking in one deep breath after another and Jill was alarmed to see that her emotions were getting the best of her. She looked helplessly between Sabrina and Bosley, none of them knowing quite what to do. She'd just decided to go to her, when Kelly turned back around, composed again.

"Are you alright?" Sabrina chanced.

Kelly waved off her concern. "There has to be a way to get him to show himself."

Jill looked uncomfortably towards Bosley, who looked just as lost as she felt.

"Do you have something in mind, Kelly?" He asked carefully. He looked like he was still poised to leap into action.

"No. Not yet," Kelly admitted, shaking her head. "But, there has to be something we're missing. If he won't come to us, there's got to be a way to get to him."

Sabrina stepped forward and took Kelly's arm. "Okay, listen-" She started calmly. The gun was making her nervous. She gently tugged at the handle and, only looking slightly annoyed, Kelly just let her take it. "Charlie may get us a lead with Eva Rossi. If we can find her, maybe she can lead us to Greg Samson, or give us some kind of insight as to how he's connected to you."

"So more waiting around," Kelly said grimly.

"Maybe not for long," Bosley piped up. "Charlie will call us in the morning. By then he might have something for us to go on."

Sabrina looked thoughtful. "Or…"

"Or what?" Jill asked impatiently.

"Or maybe we can find him," Sabrina finished her thought, looking like her brain was moving about a hundred miles an hour. "He showed up in that photo in the liquor store, he'd been going there since June. Maybe he lives in the area?"

Kelly made a face. "He's from New York."

"And you're from Texas. I'm from Alabama," Sabrina countered. " _We_ moved around. So why couldn't he?"

Kelly nodded her grudging acceptance. "So he lives in the area or has business there."

Sabrina nodded. "Could be. Tomorrow, we'll do some poking around. Bos, you've got a picture of the guy for our records right?"

Bosley nodded. "I do. We could show it around, see if anyone else knows him. That might work."

Looking satisfied, Sabrina nodded her head. "Then that's what we'll do."

That seemed a fine idea to Jill. She brushed her hand along Kelly's arm and hoped her smile looked genuine. "Now we have a plan. And I think you need to go to bed."

Kelly looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "What?"

"You're gonna lose it if you don't get some sleep," Jill explained patiently, giving her a nudge forward. "And if you're so uptight that you shoot the next neighbor that comes knocking on your door, I don't think even Charlie will be able to bail you out."

"I wasn't gonna shoot him," Kelly grumbled. "Not with three witnesses."

Jill laughed, hoping to God that was a joke. "Lucky for him," She giggled and gave Kelly another push forward. "Now go on. Try to sleep. Clear your head a little bit. You'll feel better tomorrow."

She tried to push her again, but this time Kelly dug in her heels. "We're supposed to be ready if he-"

"We'll wake you up if he does," Jill cut her off. "The three of us can handle it. You go to bed because if you don't get some sleep you won't be able to think straight tomorrow and I think all four of us need to be thinking as straight as possible."

Kelly threw up her hands and turned to Sabrina and Bosley for help. She didn't get any, Jill was pleased to note.

Outnumbered three to one, Kelly sagged in defeat. "Alright then," She sighed and, hands up in mock surrender, she began backing toward her bedroom.

"And leave the door open," Sabrina called to her. "We need to hear what's going on in there."

Kelly barked a laugh. "And what do you expect to be going on in-"

"Just _do_ it, Kelly." Sabrina sighed.

Surprisingly, Kelly didn't argue. "Fine. Can I have my gun back now? I promise I won't shoot my neighbors."

Sabrina smiled and held it out to her. "As long as you promise." She said. "Now go on."

"I'm going. You gonna come read me a bedtime story too while you're at it?"

Just because Kelly wasn't fighting them didn't mean she didn't have something smart to say. She shouldn't have, but Jill giggled all the same.

Sabrina let her sarcasm roll right off of her. "No, I'm not," She sighed. "Goodnight, Kelly. If you hear anything weird or…you know, just holler at us. I'll stay by the hallway just in case."

A faint smile crossed Kelly's face. "Thanks. I guess I'm lucky I have such good babysitters," Sarcastic words, but her tone said she was grateful, no matter how much she hated admitting they were right.

"The best money can buy," Sabrina agreed. "Now, get out of here."

"Oh, and I have a few selections I think you would like," Bosley joked, smiling broadly. "That is, if you're still interested in that bedtime story

That did it. Kelly made a face. "Oh…you win. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Jill sang sweetly, wiggling her fingers at her. She watched Kelly disappear into the hallway. The door opened and….stayed open.

At least she was cooperating.

"What a night," Sabrina mumbled, sinking into the couch. She leaned over and placed her gun on the coffee table. "I'm not sure I can take much more of this either."

The music down the street suddenly stopped and the contrasting silence echoed in Jill's ears, sounding completely foreign.

"Neither could they," She quipped.

"Bout time," Bosley grumped and then gave a big yawn. He was tired. They were all tired.

Jill slumped down in the couch next to Sabrina. "Charlie will have something for us in the morning," she said, hoping she sounded as confident and positive as she was trying to be. "Then we can get this figured out and go back to sleeping at night."

Sabrina scoffed. "Wouldn't that be nice?" She rose to her feet and headed toward the hallway where she had promised Kelly she would be holding vigil. Halfway there, she took a sudden detour to the kitchen. "I have a feeling it's gonna be a long night. Might as well finish that coffee you were making."

Oh yeah, the coffee.

"Extra strong, please," Bosley sighed. He knelt down and started gathering up all of the playing cards that had been scattered on the floor when Sam Connor started pounding on the front door. Jill slid off the couch to help him.

"You know how to play rummy, right?" Bosley asked innocently as he squared up the part of the deck in his hands.

Jill fought the urge to laugh as she handed him the remaining cards. "Better than Kelly, that's for sure."

"That sounds like a challenge to me," Bosley said eagerly. "Hey, you've played bridge, haven't you?" He sat down on the couch and started dealing card out on the table and with nothing else to do, Jill sank down next to him.

A long night indeed.


	16. All About Eve

_Thanks for those of you still sticking with this story, I greatly appreciate it. We are inching toward the ending now and the girls will be getting some answers sooner than later, I promise!_

 _\- glambo_

* * *

 _ **Tuesday, November 16th**_

Jill entered the kitchen yawning and wiping her hands on the back of her jeans. Her fourth cup of coffee was waiting for her on the table and so far all the good it was doing was ensuring that she stretched her legs every ten minutes to go to the restroom.

" _Now_ are you ready?" Sabrina asked, an amused smile on her face.

Jill gave her friends an airy little giggle and deliberately took her time sitting down at the table and getting comfortable. They'd all managed to at least wait until the sun was up before giving Charlie a call to report on last night's bust.

" _Now_ , I'm ready," Jill said lightly. She gestured toward Bosley and, with a tolerant eye roll, he started to dial.

Jill took another sip of her coffee and, drumming her fingers anxiously against the side of the mug, looked around the table at her companions as the line began to ring. As usual, she was the most cheerful one at the table. Sabrina was functioning, but she was on her fifth cup of coffee and the dark circles under her eyes said that even that much wasn't enough. Bosley looked even more tired, despite Jill losing count of how many cups _he'd_ had.

And Kelly…

Well, Jill was never sure what to think about Kelly. From the looks of her, whatever sleep she'd had last night hadn't been enough.

Three rings went by before Charlie finally picked up.

"The four of you have certainly been early birds lately," He greeted them. If he was as tired as they were, it sure didn't show it in his voice. Again, he sounded impossibly well-rested despite the early hour. It was just past six in the morning now.

"It's easy to be up early when you don't sleep, Charlie," Sabrina answered for them.

Charlie clucked his tongue. "Not sleeping doesn't make for good detective work, angels."

"Oh, we've been sleeping," Bosley clarified. "Just not nearly enough."

"I see," Charlie replied cheerfully. "Well, any news?"

Jill leaned forward, more than ready to change the subject away from their collective lack of sleep. "Nothing, Charlie. We were hoping you'd have something for us."

"I thought you'd never ask," His bright tone had everyone sitting up attentively. "I _do_ have something for you. I trust you remember Eva Rossi?"

Sabrina looked intrigued. "We remember, Charlie," She answered impatiently. "What about her?"

"I did my best to dig up some information on her. Going on the hunch that Greg Samson lived in the area, I checked out some similar sounding names through the DPS and I did come up with an Eve Solomon. She's forty-one years old, born in New York City and, most interestingly enough, there seems to be no record of her that I could find before 1951. Here or in New York."

That was interesting indeed. Jill raised a brow and glanced around the table to see how her team was reacting. She was the right age, had a suspiciously familiar name, and was from the right place. Everyone, save Kelly, seemed to have perked up at that information.

"You don't say," Jill whistled.

"I _do_ say," Charlie replied. "Not only that but it seems she registered for a driver's license in 1953 and never renewed it after that."

Sabrina smirked. "Imagine that."

"No promises on this one, but the similarities between her and the girl in the picture seemed too coincidental to ignore."

"I'll say," Bosley chimed in. "I suppose one of us needs to get in touch with Mrs. Solomon, don't we?"

"Two of you," Charlie amended. "Nobody goes anywhere alone."

Jill felt herself getting anxious. "And where would we find her, Charlie?"

She could practically feel Charlie beaming through the speaker box. "That's the best part, Jill," Charlie explained. "She lives in Glendale. Do you have a pen?"

Without a word, Kelly leaned back in her seat, pulled open the drawer behind her and, after rooting around for a second, produced an eraser-less pencil. "Go ahead, Charlie," She said quietly.

Jill fidgeted in her seat impatiently as Kelly jotted down Eve Solomon's phone number and address on the back of the TV Guide that Bosley had absent-mindedly brought into the kitchen last night. She repeated the information back to him and they appeared to be set.

"You got it, Kelly," Charlie said brightly. "I'll leave it to the four of you as to who goes to pay Mrs. Solomon a visit," He cleared his throat. "Of course, Kelly, you'll be-"

"I'll be staying here," Kelly finished for him, her voice tired and defeated. "I know the drill."

"Just for your safety," Charlie tried to soften the blow.

"Just for my safety," Kelly echoed wearily.

Jill reached over Bosley and patted her hand. "Since Cinderella can't go to the ball, _I'll_ go talk to Mrs. Solomon," She purred. She ignored the look Kelly gave her.

"I'll go with her," Bosley added chivalrously.

"Good idea, Bos," Jill purred, taking his arm. "She might be cute. Even if forty-one is a little old for you."

Bosley shot her a piteous look and shrugged her off. "I don't mix business with pleasure," He said dryly.

Jill giggled and Sabrina had to hide her face so that she wouldn't.

"Besides," Bosley went on. "If she's married to Greg Samson, I sure don't want _him_ after me," He leaned over and patted Kelly's arm. "Even if that _would_ take the heat off of you for a bit."

For the first time all morning, Kelly cracked a smile.

"Well, now that that's settled..." Charlie began, once the giggling died down. "If you leave now, you can beat the traffic and maybe catch her before work."

"Where does she work in case we don't?" Bosley asked.

"She works at Perfect Fit Alterations in Glendale, maybe fifteen minutes from where she lives," Charlie answered. "Another coincidence, perhaps?"

Jill grinned. "Oh, perhaps," She said lightly.

Charlie chuckled and then his tone became much more somber. "Sabrina and Kelly, the two of you stay alert here. I don't want anyone sneaking up on you while Jill and Bosley are away."

Sabrina and Kelly shared a look.

"Actually..." Sabrina started. "If you don't mind, Charlie, we were talking last night and...we'd kind of like to do some digging of our own."

There was a beat of silence. "Oh?" Charlie replied.

"Yeah," Sabrina went on uneasily. He had, after all, told Kelly to stay home. "We think maybe Greg Samson might live or work near where Ross McNeil's liquor store is."

"That's a possibility," Charlie said carefully.

"If we can poke around there, show his picture to some people, maybe we can figure out where he might be. I know you wanted Kelly to hole up here, but it might even be safer than waiting around, _especially_ if he knows she's here. Not much he can do if we're in public, surrounded by people," Sabrina finished.

"We're in this mess because of me." Kelly spoke up suddenly. "I'd sure feel better if I was helping." She brightened somewhat. "Then, at least I'd be a _moving_ target."

The room fell quiet as Charlie lapsed into a thoughtful silence. After what felt like forever, he finally cleared his throat. He didn't appear too thrilled with the idea. "If that would make you feel better, Kelly. Just see that you don't tip your cards to him," He said after a moment. "I don't want him knowing that we're on to him."

"We'll be careful, Charlie," Sabrina promised, grinning victoriously. "We can handle it."

Charlie gave a slight chuckle. "I have no doubt about it. The three of you are the best in the business for a reason, after all."

Bosley cleared his throat. "Three?"

This time, Charlie laughed. "Four, Bosley. The _four_ of you are the best in the business." He waited until the giggling had subsided and then cleared his throat again for their attention. "Kelly, you're not to be anywhere alone." Charlie said, now dead serious. "Sabrina, you'll see to it that she's not?"

"That was the plan, but don't worry, I won't let her leave my side," Sabrina said quickly. "We'll be like two peas in a pod," Charlie couldn't see it, but she slung a friendly arm around Kelly's shoulder anyway.

Kelly shrugged her off. "I'll stay on my leash, I promise."

Charlie ignored her sarcasm. "Be careful, then. If you think you're getting close, call me immediately. Don't take any risks."

Sabrina grinned. "You got it, Charlie."

"I'll check in with you later this afternoon," Charlie said. "Unless, of course, I hear from you first."

"Sounds good, Charlie," Bosley yawned.

Charlie paused. "And each of you might want to have a cup of coffee before you leave. You all sound tired."

The looks on Bosley, Sabrina and Kelly's faces were funnier than Charlie's comment. Jill found herself almost choking on the coffee in her mouth to avoid recreating a Danny Thomas spit-take.

"Goodbye for now," Charlie said and the line went dead.

"Bye, Charlie," Jill said needlessly. She took a final sip of her coffee and then, grateful to be on the move, popped to her feet, clapping Bosley on the shoulders as she did. "Well, what are you waiting for, lazy bones? Let's get out of here!"

Instead of arguing, Bosley only sighed and pushed himself up, slowly and painfully as if he had a thousand pounds on his shoulders.

"I'll get you a Thermos for the road," Kelly said, grinning faintly. She got up and went to the cabinet behind him.

"You are too good to me," Bosley gushed. He turned and wrinkled his nose at Jill, who could only laugh. "Unlike some people."

"She's a slave driver, I know," Kelly consoled him. She fixed his coffee and then handed him the thermos. "That should get you to Glendale. You're on your own for the way back."

"Maybe it'll be more useful to him empty," Jill joked, grinning cheerfully.

Another smile from Kelly. Getting the go-ahead from Charlie and being freed from house arrest had put her in a better mood. "Oh. Well, do what you need to do, Bos." She said, patting his arm. "But, keep it if you do, okay?"

Bosley rolled his eyes at them. "Very amusing," He replied with a face made of stone and sent Jill into a fit of giggles. He had probably gone to the little boy's room only a handful of times less than she had. She linked her arm through Bosley's and impatiently started leading him out of the room, very eager to do something productive.

"Come on, Bos. If we don't leave now, we'll never get there."

"Slow down. I'm coming, I'm coming," He followed her, grabbing his jacket up as he did. "There are some pictures of Greg Samson in my briefcase," He called over his shoulder to Sabrina and Kelly at the table.

"We'll find them," Sabrina said, nodding.

"Uh huh. The two of you _please_ be careful," Bosley said sternly to Sabrina and Kelly.

"We're always careful," Sabrina chuckled. "Don't worry about us. You just worry about Eve Solomon."

"And don't go breaking her heart," Kelly said, smiling innocently.

Sabrina's smile broadened. "Oh, he couldn't if he tried."

"Cut it out," Bosley made a face at them. "And I mean it. The two of you stay together."

Sabrina crossed her heart. "We will. Cross my heart, hope to die, Bos."

 _Oh, now why in the hell had she said that?_

Jill stopped in the doorway and turned, eyeing Sabrina disapprovingly. She didn't have to say anything. Sabrina caught it and started to laugh.

"Okay, okay, bad choice of words," She admitted, still laughing. "Sorry. We'll be careful. Honest."

Jill narrowed her eyes at her friend. "You better. We'll call and check in after we get done with Eve Solomon. You'll be in your car?"

"We'll be in _my_ car," Kelly said quickly.

Jill nodded and then caught Kelly's eye. _Don't do anything stupid_ , she willed her, but knew it wouldn't get her anywhere to say it out loud. Instead, she echoed Bosley. "Be careful."

Sabrina nudged Kelly with her elbow. "Don't worry, she won't leave my side," She promised.

Beside her, Jill could hear Bosley grumble something under his breath. "Alright, then," She replied, satisfied with Sabrina's confidence. "Let us know if you find something."

Smirking, Sabrina crossed her heart again, this time wisely leaving out the familiar saying.

Jill gave her friends one last grin and then headed eagerly for the door, towing Bosley along behind her. They stopped only briefly to grab some last minute things and then they were out the door.

As it had the past few days, Kelly's neighborhood looked perfectly safe. Only a handful of people were up this early, getting ready for a long commute to their respective jobs. If there weren't any hold-ups, they would be in Glendale by 7:00.

And Jill found herself glad of that. The quicker they found Greg Samson, the sooner this would be over.

"We'll see who she thinks is cuter and that person can take the lead," Jill said cheerfully as she and Bosley climbed into her car.

He only shot her a look and took a long swig of his coffee.

Jill giggled as she started up the car. It was time to put these puzzle pieces together and she couldn't wait to see where Eve Solomon fit.

* * *

A stalled truck on the highway made the normally thirty-minute trip closer to an hour, but Jill was pleased to see a car in the driveway when she and Bosley finally pulled up to Eve Solomon's residence in Glendale.

"Home, sweet home," She sang, putting the car in park. She was trying to be funny, but it _did_ seem sweet enough, tucked away in this cozy little subdivision. They were in what felt like a slightly bigger and more expensive version of Kelly's neighborhood, parked in front of a nice looking tan brick home with a clean walkway and a well-manicured lawn. The garage and front doors were a matching shade of teal and along one side of the house a pretty little flower garden brightened up the lawn with the oranges and yellows of late fall. It was difficult to imagine something ominous waiting for them on the other side of the pretty teal door, but they had to be prepared for anything.

Jill shut off the engine of her car and glanced Bosley's way. "You ready?"

Bosley sighed and tried to take a sip of his coffee. It was his third failed attempt since he finished it ten minutes ago, but it was still just as funny to Jill.

"So, one more time..." Bosley started, once he'd set the Thermos down in disappointment.

Jill grinned. "One more time..."

"We are private detectives looking for Marcus Solomon," Bosley began, concentrating hard. "We have reason to believe he might be our client's father."

Jill nodded, satisfied. "And since your last name matches _his_ , we were wondering if you were a relation and could give us some information on his whereabouts."

Bosley frowned. "But…isn't that a little _on the nose_?" He asked doubtfully.

Jill shot him a weary look. On the nose? Hardly, she thought to herself stubbornly.

Or it might be.

Possibly.

Okay, maybe it was.

Maybe Sabrina could come up with some amazingly clever plan while she was driving through traffic at seven in the morning after getting half a night of sleep, but she wasn't Sabrina.

"We've had about four hours of sleep in the past two days," Jill sighed. "This is as good as it's gonna get, Bos. Come on, let's see if she's home."

"Alright, alright," Bosley grumped.

The two detectives climbed out of the car and made their way up the clean walkway and to the pretty teal front door. Jill hesitated for a moment before knocking, hoping to hear voices inside to tell her how many people were home. There was nothing to hear however and so, with a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and gave three firm raps with her knuckle.

"Just a minute," A sweet sounding voice called from the other side of the door. Did she detect some sort of _accent_? Jill wondered to herself.

She turned to Bosley and grinned. "Guess she doesn't have to be at work until later," She whispered.

Bosley only shrugged.

A few seconds later, Jill heard the latches on the other side turn and the door creaked open a few inches. She could partially see a woman's face peering at them from the crack.

"Yes?" The woman asked cautiously, narrowing the one dark eye that Jill could see. "Can I help you?"

Because she was by far the least threatening of the two, Jill stepped forward and pressed her face to the crack, brandishing the gleaming white smile that usually got her exactly what she wanted when she wanted it.

From men, anyway. With women it was a crap-shoot.

"Hello!" She sang. "Are you Eve Solomon?"

The dark eye stared at her suspiciously. "Yes, I'm Eve Solomon. What can I do for you?"

Jill took a step back. This woman had a definite accent. Russian, maybe. Something Eastern European. Sabrina would probably know. But, unfortunately, she wasn't here.

"Well, for starters, we'd love it if you would open the door," Jill started. "I'm Darla White and this is my partner, Joe Stevens," She waited until Bosley had finished peeking in to wave at her. "We're private detectives and we have a few questions we'd like to ask you."

Eve Solomon's face moved away and Jill was left with a few awkward seconds of complete radio silence. Just as she began to wonder if Eve had vanished, however, her face appeared back in the crack. "Private detectives?" She asked and now her voice was shaky and unsure. "What... I… have I done something wrong?"

"Oh, no!" Jill said quickly and gave an airy little laugh, hoping to lighten the tense atmosphere. "You're not in any trouble, we just think that you can help our client out with some information," She pushed her face back toward the crack and smiled sweetly. "We're kind of in a bind here, and we think you can help. Or at least we _hope_ you can."

Whether her story was convincing or her toothy grin was just _that_ disarming, Jill wasn't sure. But, Eve Solomon fiddled with the locks and the door opened, revealing more than an inch of her face.

She was pretty, Jill noted. She looked closer to thirty-one than forty-one. Slim and petite, maybe three or four inches shorter than she was with dark hair and hazel eyes. It wasn't yet eight in the morning, but her hair was done, she had on makeup and she was dressed as if they'd caught her on her way out. Jill tried not to seem as if she were outright staring, but she couldn't help it.

This woman had the dark hair, the facial structure, and the petite build of the teenage girl in the black and white photo, but Jill couldn't see many more similarities beyond that. She brushed off her misgivings. Twenty-five years was a long time. People changed.

"Won't you come in," Eve Solomon said quietly, gesturing Jill and Bosley inside.

"Thank you," Bosley spoke up for the first time. He must have thought Eve Solomon was pretty too, Jill realized as she noted the goofy look on his face. She fought the urge to giggle.

"This is a beautiful home you've got here," Bosley went on as Eve led them into her living room. And he wasn't just flirting, Jill noted. Whoever she was, Eve Solomon had good taste. The furniture was nice and everything was so nicely arranged, making the small living room seem bright and airy. Jill took a seat next to Bosley on the couch and watched as Eve hovered about opposite them.

"Uh, thank you. Can I… get you something to drink?" She asked nervously, gesturing toward to her right where the kitchen must have been. "Some coffee, perhaps?"

Jill almost wrinkled her nose. She'd had enough coffee for a while. "No, thank you. We're fine."

"Okay," Eve replied awkwardly. She stood there for a while longer and then finally sank down in the love seat across from them. "So, what is this about?"

Jill was about to answer, but Bosley leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and cleared his throat loudly. Clearly, he must have decided that _he_ was the cuter one. "Well, Mrs. Solomon, our client hired us to find his birth father."

Eve blinked her surprise. "…his birth father?"

"Yes, ma'am," Bosley continued, smiling politely. "It appears the gentleman disappeared just before our client was born. I won't bore you with all of the details, but it's been almost twenty-five years and now he has reason to look him up. All we know is that his father's name is Marcus Solomon."

Eve stared at them as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her hands fidgeted nervously on her lap. "And because my last name is Solomon, you think I might know him?"

Jill smiled. "We were hoping so."

But, Eve only shook her head. "I'm sorry you came all this way for nothing. I don't know a Marcus Solomon."

Jill watched her fidget. There was something else to the story, she was certain. "You weren't ever with a Marcus Solomon? Back in New York?"

"I've never been to New York," Eve said firmly. "I'm sorry."

Jill and Bosley shared a look. This was starting to get interesting.

"According to your records, you were born in New York City and moved here in 1951," Bosley spoke up innocently. "Could that have been a clerical error of some sort, perhaps?"

Eve's eyes snapped up at them as the color drained from her face. "How …how do you know that?" She blurted out.

Jill smiled sweetly. "We don't mean to pry. But, we _are_ detectives. It's our job to know things."

"You aren't in any kind of trouble," Bosley continued gently. "We just want to find Marcus Solomon."

Eve averted her eyes. "I said I didn't know any Marcus Solomon. I'm sorry," She stood and began making her way to the front door. "If that's all you've come for, I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help to you."

Bosley stood and held up both hands to pacify her. "Hold on," He said quickly. "Please, Mrs. Solomon. You're our last hope, here. The reason we're here is because there seems to be no record of you before 1951. The same year Marcus Solomon disappeared. You're both from New York City. Can you blame us for making the connection?" He asked softly. "Please, if there's any way you can help us, we would truly appreciate it."

Eve Solomon was staring at him as if he were speaking a language she couldn't understand. "I… I have no idea what you're talking about, Mr. Stevens. I don't know a Marcus Solomon."

Bosley turned to give Jill a helpless look and she nodded at him. They'd already discussed this in the car. It was time to pull out the big guns.

He dug into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and thrust it toward Eve Solomon. "Please, work with us. Is this you in this picture?"

Eve stared at him, looking absolutely baffled, before reluctantly reaching out and taking Bosley's wallet from his hands. She brought the picture up to her face and then looked back at the two detectives, her hazel eyes still wide and full of confusion. "No. That's not me. I don't know who this is."

Jill stood with a frustrated sigh. "Are you Eva Rossi?"

As a last ditch effort, she'd been hoping to get some kind of genuine reaction out of the older woman by bringing up her name, give them _something_ to let them know that she recognized it. It didn't happen though. She might as well have yelled out her own name, Jill realized because Eve looked completely lost at sea. Nervous laughter bubbled up from her throat. "Eva who?" She blurted out. "What are you people on about? You… you're not with immigration, are you?"

Now it was Bosley and Jill's turn to look confused.

"Immigration?" Jill echoed stupidly. "What?"

Eve put a hand on her heart and began to laugh as if this had somehow relieved her. "Oh my goodness," She said, through her laughter. "I thought my life was over," She composed herself and, now looking much more at ease, regarded the two detectives with curious eyes. "You really are looking for someone named Marcus Solomon, aren't you?"

Jill stared at Bosley, not quite knowing what had just happened.

"Uh," Was the most intelligent thing Jill could manage before Eve laughed again.

"And you're not the police?" Eve asked.

Bosley stared at her. "No, ma'am," He said carefully. He looked at Jill for help, but he was asking the wrong person. Jill was still frantically trying to get on the same page as Eve Solomon.

"I wish I knew what was so funny," She said, as sweetly as she could. "Are we on the wrong track here?"

Eve took a deep breath and held up a finger before disappearing into the hallway connecting the living room to whatever was on the other side. She returned a few seconds later with a large faded red binder. A photo album, Jill realized. She sank down into the couch and Eve sat down next to her.

"Look," She said, lovingly flipping through a few pages. Eve didn't seem to mind one bit when Bosley sauntered behind the couch to peer over her shoulder. She just kept flipping through pages. Jill stared curiously at the book, wondering what she was supposed to be looking for. Black and white photos of strangers appeared before her, page after page of them, some loose and some slipped inside yellowing plastic dividers.

Finally, Eve stopped flipping and pointed out a photo with her index finger. A girl of about fifteen stared back at Jill, pretty and smiling, and so very obviously a younger picture of the woman sitting next to her.

" _This_ is me," Eve clarified, though, by this time, she didn't need to. "In 1949." She looked up, smiling. "So you see, I can't be the girl in that picture."

Jill had been smelling failure for the past few minutes, but that cinched it. "Oh," She said dejectedly. "That's a pretty picture anyway."

"Oh, thank you," Eve flipped a few more pages and then smiled wistfully. "There, look," She said again and Jill and Bosley both leaned forward.

"What are you showing us?" Bosley was the first to voice his confusion.

"Oh, I suppose you wouldn't know by looking at a picture," Eve said and then closed the book gently. She gave it a loving pat and then set it to her side. "Those pictures were from my childhood home," she explained. "In Russia. I'm no relation to Marcus Solomon, because that isn't even my real name. My father chose it for us when we moved to America with my family in 1951."

Jill stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Solomon isn't my name now either," Eve continued. "I took my husband's last name when I married twenty years ago. I just haven't bothered to legally change it," She looked a bit guilty. "It was… it was easier to do what we did back then. Life was not good in Russia at that time. And it was not so good to be Russian _here_ either. My father knew someone who could get us new identities here in the States and so that's what we did. I doubt anyone would care enough to send me back now, but I try not to bring too much attention to myself. Just in case."

Bosley sighed. "Well, that explains why your license is expired."

Eve nodded. "Yes, that's why I haven't ever renewed my driver's license. It makes me nervous. Even after all this time," She shrugged. "My husband does the driving anyway. The traffic here gets worse every year it seems. I let him do it."

Jill could hardly believe where this lead had taken them. A Russian ex-pat who hated to drive. Of all the things.

It appeared some things were just coincidences after all. Jill wearily rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Well, it looks like we've got some egg on our face," She said, chancing a glance at Bosley. He looked just as disappointed as she felt.

"We're uh… sorry to have bothered you," Bosley said.

They stood and this time let Eve walk them to the door. "It was no bother. Quite a coincidence, in fact. Sorry, to have wasted your time."

Jill stepped outside and grinned over her shoulder. "I think we're the ones that wasted your time. And… we'll keep your secret, don't worry about that."

Eve smiled awkwardly. "Thank you, Ms. White. I hope you find whoever it is you're looking for."

Jill forced the grin on her face just a little bit longer. "I do too. Thank you," She managed to plaster that happy expression on just long enough for Eve Solomon to close the door.

"Oh, damn," She breathed as soon as they had walked out of earshot. "I thought for sure we were on to something there."

"Yeah, I did too," Bosley muttered his agreement. "And she mentioned a husband so I can't even get a phone number out of this… _debacle_."

Jill rolled her eyes. "Oh, why do such bad things happen to such good people." She teased.

They reached the car and climbed inside. It wasn't yet 8:30, Jill noticed when she turned on the engine. They sat quietly, idling in front of Eve Solomon's house, at a loss for what to do for a few moments before Bosley spoke up.

"Now what?" He asked in defeat.

 _Good question._ Jill had no idea, really. Instead of admitting it though, she shrugged her shoulders. "Let's find a gas station and then we can call Kelly and Sabrina."

Bosley furrowed his brow. "Your tank is almost full. You don't need gas."

Jill shot him a look. "Well, no, I don't need _gas_. Just… it's the bathroom that I need."

Bosley chuckled and leaned back in his seat to settle in for the drive. "Say no more."

"I'm a lady, so I won't," Jill replied lightly. She noticed Bosley was grinning mischievously out of the corner of her eye

"Although…" He started.

Jill looked up at him and burst into laughter. He was holding up Kelly's empty Thermos.

"Oh, let's just hope it doesn't take long to find a place to stop or I might owe Kelly a new Thermos."

She guided her car back out into traffic and headed toward what she sincerely hoped was the direction of the nearest gas station.


	17. The Phone Call

Jill tapped her fingers anxiously on glass side of the pay-phone booth she'd found as she plunked a dime into the coin slot.

The gas station they'd visited earlier had indeed contained a restroom, sparing Kelly's Thermos from a terrible fate, but after using the facilities she'd discovered that the pay-phone in the phone booth beside it was broken. There was a mobile phone in her car, sure, but Jill didn't much feel like sitting in her car.

Plus, hunting down a place with a working pay-phone was as good an excuse as any she could think of to go find something to eat for breakfast. So, while Bosley balked, she found a donut shop, bought them some pastries and juice- she couldn't possibly stomach another cup of coffee yet- and took the opportunity to stretch her legs in search of a phone.

The bakery's phone may have cost her a dime, but it felt good to walk around. She munched on a donut as she dialed the number to Kelly's car phone. She could have eaten at the table with Bosley, but for some reason, she found it incredibly difficult to sit still.

She wasn't at all sure if anyone would answer, but was pleased when Sabrina's voice came on the line.

"Hello?" Her best friend's voice answered over a backdrop of traffic. They'd already made it downtown.

"Hey, Bri," Jill greeted her around the lump of donut in her mouth. "How are you two doing?"

"Well, we haven't gotten anything yet," Sabrina answered cheerfully. "But, it's only 9:30. Lots of places are still closed. Me and Kelly are waiting for doors to start opening up around here. We got a bite to eat, that's the only reason you caught us in the car."

Jill giggled. "Oh, great minds. Me and Bos are eating too."

"Hm, I couldn't tell," Sabrina teased her. "So, were you able to find Eve Solomon?"

Jill swallowed her mouthful. "Oh, we found her," She sighed. "For all the good it did us."

"Uh-oh, that doesn't sound very promising." She heard Sabrina relate something to Kelly, who was probably sitting in the passenger seat next to her. "Don't tell me you struck out? What happened?"

"Not Eva Rossi, that's what happened." Jill replied and took another bite. "Not even close."

She listened to Sabrina repeat that to Kelly. "Well, damn," She sighed, disappointment clear in her tone. "I really thought we had something there, you know?"

"We did too," Jill admitted. "Anyway, we're gonna head back to Kelly's and call Charlie from there. You left some of Greg's pictures behind, right?"

"Yeah, we did," Sabrina said slowly. She paused for a moment as if confused. "Jill?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you talking so fast?"

Jill furrowed her brow. Talking fast? "I'm not talking fast," She said defensively.

Another pause. "Whatever. So… pictures are on the table where Kelly keeps her mail," She cleared her throat purposefully. "You know where _that_ is."

Jill felt her face get hot. " _Yes_ , I know where that is!" She snapped. She had more to say, but just then she saw Bosley throwing away his trash out of the corner of her eye. "Oh, gotta go. Bos is on the move. Listen, you and Kelly be careful," She glanced down at her watch. "It's 9:30…give us about twenty- no, thirty!- minutes to get back to Kelly's to get the pictures and then call us so we can meet you somewhere."

She heard giggling in the background and this time Kelly's voice answered her, sounding somewhat amused. "Okay, Jill. See you later. No more coffee, okay?"

More giggling. Jill stared at the receiver, feeling irritated and confused. "Bye," She grumped and then hung up the phone. Why were they acting so weird? Deciding to push it out of her mind, she crammed the last bite of donut into her mouth and, wiping her hands on her pants, jogged up to Bosley, now standing by their table.

"They don't have anything yet," She greeted him.

Bosley stared at her in confusion. "What?"

Jill swallowed her mouthful. "They haven't gotten anything yet," She repeated herself, louder and more clearly.

"Well, you don't have to yell, Jill, I'm standing right here," Bosley grumbled at her.

Jill decided to just ignore how weird _everyone_ was acting this morning. "Sorry, Bos. You ready?"

He grabbed his half-empty cup of juice and then gestured toward the door. "Lead the way."

Feeling much better with her bladder empty and her stomach full, Jill grinned and bounded ahead of him to her car.

* * *

The stalled truck from earlier that morning had been blessedly cleared away and now that the early morning rush hour was over, traffic was flowing much more smoothly. They made the trip back to Kelly's house in less than half the time it had taken them to get to Glendale and Jill couldn't have been more grateful.

"I already talked to Charlie," Bosley called as Jill flounced back into the living room, wiping her still damp hands on her tail of her shirt.

Jill saw him standing there by Kelly's little entrance table. "Well, that was quick," She replied, making her way to his side. While she'd answered natures call, he had been filling Charlie in on their bust with Eve Solomon. Charlie must have been eager to get back to the drawing board because it had been such a short conversation, she hadn't gotten a chance to talk to him at all.

"Yeah. Minor setback, he says. He still thinks he might be on to something with the girl in the picture. He's going to keep on looking," Bosley reported. He shrugged and then waved the envelope in his hand. "Anyway, I got the pictures."

"Oh, good," Jill replied cheerfully, as he shook the photos out into his hand. She leaned over to help him inspect them. A few shots were from too far away to be of any use, but there were at least three of them where Greg's face was clear enough to be able to get an identification from someone who had seen him.

As she scanned for which of those three would be the best one to use, one of those close-up pictures caught her eye. Jill plucked it from Bosley's hand and studied it closely, something close to recognition washing over her. There was _something_ about this photo, the angle of Greg's face perhaps, that made her wonder. "You know, he _does_ kind of look familiar in some of these," She mused after a moment.

Bosley raised a brow. "Familiar?" He echoed. "Don't tell me you recognize the guy now."

Jill racked her brain as her eyes scanned Greg's face. "I didn't say I _recognized_ him," She said slowly. And she _didn't_ recognize him. Just _this_ particular photo…there was just something about it she couldn't quite put her finger on. "I said he just looks… I don't know… familiar. Like maybe we saw him around before and just don't remember."

Bosley nodded. "So we're on the right track then?"

The spell was broken. Jill shook it off and slipped the photo back into its envelope and into her purse. "I think so," She reached out to straighten Bosley's tie. "You know, I bet we'll be slapping our foreheads once we figure this out."

"I'll let all three of you slap my forehead," Bosley sighed. "If that means this whole mess is all over and done with."

Jill finished and brushed off the front of his shirt. "I think it will be. Bri hasn't called yet so let me call them and see where she and Kelly are."

She ducked past Bosley to the phone and tapped out the number to Kelly's mobile phone. It rang once and then twice…

Jill groaned as it rang three more times with no answer. "Ugh. They're probably out walking around."

The news didn't seem to be much of a surprise to Bosley. He shrugged and flipped up his arm to check his watch. "It's a little after ten. Lots of places open at ten. They're probably just now getting in to talk to people. Why don't we just head that way and give them a call from the car?"

That made sense enough to Jill. "Whatever you say, Bos." She sang. She grabbed up her purse and followed Bosley out the door.

The drive downtown was uneventful, Jill was happy to see, and they made fairly good time. It was nearing 10:30, most businesses were open and there were plenty of people milling about on the streets for them to talk to.

 _Good_ , Jill thought to herself. The more people they could cover today, the more of a chance that they'd get a hit on Greg Samson and the more of a chance that they could figure out just what the hell was going on. As they neared Ross McNeil's liquor store, Jill gave Bosley a nudge. "Hey, try them again. I don't want to waste time covering ground they've already covered."

Nodding, Bosley lifted the phone and dialed. Jill had just started to think they weren't going to answer again when Bosley suddenly perked up. "Hey there!" He greeted. "I'm here with Jill. We're about a block from the liquor store." He paused and Jill could hear the voice on the line. It was Sabrina's voice, though she couldn't make out what she was saying. "Uh-huh-" Bosley was going on. "Uh-huh. Yeah, we've got the pictures."

"Where are they?" Jill asked impatiently. "Do I need to park?"

Bosley waved her off. "We can do that." Another pause. "Yeah, I know where that is. Uh-huh."

Jill was starting to get antsy but figured if Bosley wanted her to park here, he would have said so. She slowed down and resigned herself to just driving straight forward until told otherwise. Almost immediately, Bosley reached out and tapped her shoulder to get her attention. He was pointing to the left and so Jill turned, still very much annoyed that she didn't know where she was going yet. How hard was it to just give her a destination?

"Okay, we'll be there at 1:00 then." Bosley went on.

"Where?" Jill whispered irritably.

Again, Bosley ignored her. "Same goes to you. See you later."

Finally, he hung up the phone.

"You know Marco's ?" He said, turning to Jill.

Jill smiled, wondering why he was even asking. They all knew the cozy little bar and grill. It was one of their favorite downtown hangouts. They ate lunch and treated clients there often. "No, I've never heard of it. Is it new?"

She giggled at the face Bosley made at her. "Anyway, smart alec, Sabrina said they were in that area."

Jill looked impressed. "They've fanned out pretty far from the liquor store then."

"Well, a lot of places were closed when they started." Bosley went on. "She wants us to backtrack and cover all of the places that they missed."

That didn't sound particularly exciting, but one could never know. "I can backtrack with the best of them," Jill said agreeably.

"Then we can meet at 1:00 back at Marco's to compare notes and see if anyone's picked up a lead."

"And eat lunch?" Jill asked hopefully. She was already hungry. "Seems like it would be a shame not to."

" _And_ eat lunch." Bosley chuckled. He flipped up his watch. "That gives us about two and a half hours to cover the area. Think you can make it that far without a break? I don't want to have to carry that Thermos around."

Jill was too busy scanning the area for a spot to park to catch his joke. "Mmmhmm." She agreed absently. "Do you have a nickel for the meter?"

Bosley scoffed. "You took all my change for the phone earlier." He grumped. "Even though we had a perfectly good phone in the car."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm sorry." Jill sighed. She found a suitable spot to park and, luckily, a few stray nickels in the bottom of her purse. Jill tucked the envelope with Greg's pictures by her side and climbed out of the car. With any more luck, they'd find some answers in the next two and a half hours.

* * *

"Hi, can I ask you a question? Have you been working here long?" Jill greeted yet another employee through a big friendly smile.

It had been a long two hours and Jill was tired, hungry, and after an afternoon lull had forced her into having yet another cup of coffee, desperate for a bathroom.

The young woman in the men's clothing store stared at her a bit suspiciously. "Uh… about a year."

"I bet you get a lot of interesting guys in here," Jill continued, still grinning. She saw the girl look over her shoulder, probably searching for a means of escape and decided to change tactics. "Listen, I'm not trying to get you in trouble at work or anything..." She glanced at her name tag. "... _Linda_. I was just wondering if you could help me with something."

Linda sighed and ran a hand through her short, dark hair. "I'd be glad to," She replied in a tone that suggested she'd be anything but. "Are you shopping for your boyfriend? What size is he?"

"Actually, I'm not dating anyone right now," Jill said cheerfully. "Too much going on. The timing isn't really right, you know?" She paused thoughtfully. "Not that I'm not _open_ to it, I guess I just haven't met the right guy and-" She stopped and gave herself a mental slap, wondering just why she was rambling to Linda the store employee about the state of her love life. "Um, anyway, I was hoping you could help me find someone. I'm looking for a man."

The girl looked deeply uncomfortable. "Uhh…"

Jill burst into a gale of nervous giggles. Oh God, what the hell was _wrong_ with her this morning? "No, not like that," She giggled. "See, I'm looking for a particular man." She reached into her purse for the envelope and pulled out one of Greg's pictures. " _This_ particular man."

She held out the photo and Linda took it from her to look at.

"You ever seen him around?" Jill asked hopefully.

Linda looked somewhat relieved. She studied the picture a few seconds longer and then handed it back, shaking her head. "No, not that I remember. Are you a cop or something?"

Jill took the picture back and slid it into her purse. "Not a cop." She said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. There were three employees in this store and Linda had been the third she'd talked to. Time to move on again. "But, thanks anyway, for your time." She forced a grin and handed the girl a business card. "If you see him, would you mind calling that number. That's me. I'm Jill Munroe."

The girl took it and, with a smile just as phony as Jill's, stuck it into her apron pocket. She'd probably toss it later, Jill realized dejectedly. "Sure thing. Hey, if you manage to catch yourself a boyfriend later, you can always be sure to find him a nice present here."

Jill smiled sweetly. _Ouch_. "I'll keep that in mind," She said airily.

"Anything else I can do for you?" Linda asked.

Jill kept up her sweet smile. "Just one more thing… where are your bathrooms?"

Linda gestured to the left and with a quiet thanks, she turned on her heels and hurried over. When she was finished, she glanced around the store and smiled when she caught sight of Bosley, still standing where she'd left him more than ten minutes ago. She made her way toward where he was standing, looking like he was asleep on his feet near a rack of clothing.

"Is this your mannequin impersonation?" She asked innocently, sidling up beside him.

He stared at her with bleary eyes and then struck a laughable imitation of a pin-up girl pose. "Yes. What do you think?"

Jill had to laugh. "I'll be honest. It needs work," She linked her arm through his and the pair began making their way toward the door.

"So nothing?" Bosley asked as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. Jill sighed and patted his arm.

"The last girl kind of insulted me," Jill admitted. "I guess that's something right?"

Bosley looked confused.

"So, no. Nothing," Jill sighed, deciding it wasn't funny enough for her to explain. "Another store, another bust."

Bosley shrugged. "Well, it's almost 1:00. Let's head over to Marco's and wait for Kelly and Bri. What do you say?"

Jill looked at her watch to confirm the time and frowned. She'd been really hoping to have had something to report to her friends. "I say, let's go to Marco's."

By this time, Jill and Bosley had covered enough ground to where the restaurant was within walking distance. Jill stuck her last nickel in the meter and, arm in arm with Bosley made the two-minute walk to Marco's.

It felt nice stepping inside. It was cool out but very sunny and the dim lighting of the bar was a welcome relief. Jill glanced around the place, hoping to see her friends, but there was no sign of them. Nothing to worry about though, she and Bosley were still early. It wasn't yet 1:00. She glanced at Bosley and shrugged her slim shoulders. They were probably on their way.

She slid into a secluded booth with Bosley and a waitress brought them some water.

"I bet the girls have walked up an appetite," Bosley started, glancing through the menu. "Should we order some appetizers?"

Jill was absent-mindedly drumming her fingers on the table. She took a sip of her water and, suddenly realizing how thirsty she was, downed her entire glass.

"Slow down there," Bosley commented, still looking through the menu. "Drinking fast, talking fast. I don't know how I'm keeping up with you today."

Jill looked up. "I'm not talking fast."

Bosley kept his eyes on the menu. "Hmm."

"I'm not!" Jill insisted. But, she might as well be trying to convince the salt and pepper shakers because Bosley was engrossed in the menu. Bored, she continued tapping her fingers on the table, eager for the waitress to return so she could refill her water glass. Luckily, before she could get too impatient, she saw the young woman approaching with a full pitcher in hand.

She had just started to ask for more water when the girl cut her off. "Excuse me, are you John and Jill?"

Jill smiled sweetly. "You got it. No hints on who's who though."

The waitress offered her a tight smile. "You have a phone call. You can take it at the bar," And before Jill could ask for her water, she was trotting away.

"That'll be the girls," Bosley yawned.

He wasn't making any move to get up so Jill popped to her feet. She was ready to move around again anyway. "They're probably running late so don't order too many appetizers," She called, patting Bosley on her way to the bar.

When she got there, the gentleman behind the counter nodded his head and gestured toward the phone, sitting off the hook waiting for her.

"This is Jill Munroe," Jill sang into the receiver as she hopped up on one of the bar stools.

"Jill?"

The easy smile on Jill's face faded. It was Sabrina, and something was wrong. "Bri, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Uh, I'm okay," Sabrina explained and Jill felt her blood run cold. She knew that tone. Sabrina was trying to sound calm, but her voice was shaky and edged with panic. "It's Kelly-"

Jill felt panic tighten her chest. "Kelly? What happened?" She blurted out. "Is she okay?"

Sabrina was quiet for a moment, before letting out a nervous little laugh. "I don't _know_ what happened," She started shakily. "I lost her."

"Lost her?!"

She heard Sabrina groan.

"Yes. Lost her. Kelly's gone."


	18. Gone

"What?!" Jill cried into the phone. Along with the bartender, there were already a few patrons staring openly at her, though by now she was oblivious to it. "Gone?! What do you mean, she's _gone_?!"

Sabrina swore under her breath. "I mean, she's _gone_ , Jill. I can't find her."

Jill was frantically trying to make sense of things. "What do you mean?! Where'd she go?!"

Another curse from Sabrina. "How should I know?!" Sabrina snapped at her. "I turned my back for just a second and…and she was just _gone_!"

"Like 'someone took her' gone or 'she ran off' gone?!" Jill asked, her voice now just as tight and panicked as Sabrina.

"I don't know! Just ' _gone_ ' gone!" Sabrina groaned. "Look, I'm over here on Mason Avenue. By the library. Just get over here."

Jill felt sick. "Okay," She slammed the phone down and, ignoring the stares, ran back to the booth where Bosley was still studying the menu. He must have seen her coming out of the corner of his eye because he started talking casually without looking up.

"There you are. I was thinking we could start with the-" His face fell when he finally looked up and saw hers. "Whoa. What's wrong?"

Jill didn't waste time with words. She was already pulling him to his feet. "Kelly's gone," She said as she pulled him away from the booth. "We have to go, come on."

"Gone?" Bosley echoed, now following her to the door on his own. "What do you mean, _gone_? Like she ran off?"

"I don't know," Jill answered him, shaking her head. "Sabrina knows more than I do, let's just get over there."

That was more than enough incentive to get him out the door as fast as he could.

* * *

She saw Sabrina just before Sabrina saw them.

"There she is," Jill said quickly to Bosley, before breaking into a jog. Sabrina turned as she heard her approaching, her face looking drawn and pale.

"Jill!" Sabrina cried, rushing forward. She grabbed Jill's arm and immediately started leading her down the street.

"What happened?!" Jill demanded, struggling to keep up with Sabrina's long strides.

Sabrina stopped and let her go. "That's just it!" She blurted out, throwing her hands up helplessly. "I have _no idea_ what happened!"

"No idea?"

Jill turned to see Bosley finally catching up. "What do you mean, no idea?" He panted, coming to a halt between them.

"I mean, I just turned my back for a second and she was gone!" Sabrina explained.

"How could she just be _gone_?!" Bosley asked in confusion. "Did she take the car?"

Sabrina waved her hand. "No. The car's parked over there."

"How did this happen? You were supposed to stay together, Sabrina!" Jill said heatedly. It probably wouldn't do any good yelling at her, but because it was the only thing she could think to do at the moment, this is what she would do.

"We _were_ together!" Sabrina insisted.

"Then how could you lose her?!"

Sabrina shook her head. She looked like she might cry. Or lose her temper, Jill wasn't sure which. "I said I don't know!" She repeated herself. "We went in there-" Jill looked to see where she was pointing. Some kind of knick-knack tourist trap kind of store. "-to call you and tell you we were on our way to Marco's. She was right behind me!"

Jill and Bosley shared a look.

"You… you think she could have run off somewhere?" Jill chanced and, as angry as she would be with Kelly if that were the case, desperately hoped it was. At least that would mean she was safe.

But, Sabrina only threw up her hands once more, quashing that tiny shred of hope. "Jill, I don't know!" She cried. "I… it's been an hour. If she'd run off after something, she would have checked in by now, right? Unless-" She stopped and heaved a defeated sigh. "...unless she ran into some trouble…"

Jill groaned. Either way, it didn't look good.

"Well, did you hear anything?" Bosley asked. He was doing a far better job at remaining calm than she or Sabrina was, but he was scared too. Jill could hear it in his voice.

She looked back up to Sabrina, still shaking her head. "No, nothing," She let her hand slap uselessly against her leg. "I said, 'let's go call Bos and Jill' and we couldn't find a pay-phone, but this place had a phone so we went in. She was following right behind me," Her expression was pained. "Or at least I _thought_ she was. I went up to the phone and asked her something, you know while I was dialing, and then when she didn't answer, I turned around and-"

"And she was gone," Jill finished for her wearily. "Oh my God, Sabrina."

"I just turned my back for a second!" Sabrina said again. She ran her hand nervously through her hair, leaving it mussed. She didn't seem to care. "I came out and looked for her, I thought for sure, she'd be right outside but… but nothing."

Bosley put a hand on her arm to calm her down. "Okay, slow down, Sabrina. It's not your fault."

"She was right behind me!" Sabrina cried as if she still couldn't believe it.

"I know, I know," Bosley sighed. "How long ago was this?"

Sabrina shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "I don't know. Maybe thirty minutes before I got a hold of you? I looked up and down the whole block for her and when I couldn't find her I came back and tried calling Kelly's, then your car. I figured you'd be at Marco's already so I called there and that's when I got Jill on the phone. I couldn't have had my eyes off of her for more than ten seconds."

Jill felt like screaming. "That could have been enough time for her to run off. Or… or for Greg to grab her."

"Without her putting up a fight?" Sabrina asked, baffled. "Not Kelly."

"He could have had a gun on her," Bosley pointed out. "A car waiting. They could have been tailing the two of you all morning looking for a chance."

Sabrina looked devastated. "But… but I… I was right there."

"Did _anyone_ see anything?" Jill asked. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. It was everything she could do to not take off racing down the street desperately shouting her friend's name.

Again, Sabrina shook her head. "No. I asked everyone around here," She messed up her hair further. "The guy inside said I came in alone. I just… I thought she was right behind me." She finished guiltily.

Jill took a deep breath and surveyed their surroundings. The shop in front of them faced a busy street. She thought about what Bosley had said and felt her stomach turn. There was a lot of traffic here. Someone could have easily surprised Kelly before she could enter the store, pulled a gun on her, forced her into a waiting car and then been gone in seconds. That scenario and others like it played out in her head and Jill suddenly felt like throwing up.

"Whatever happened, I think we need to face the fact that Kelly is in real trouble here," Bosley started solemnly. "If she wasn't, she'd have come back by now."

Jill closed her eyes.

"So, I'm going to step back inside and call Charlie," Bosley continued in his best "keeping things together" voice. "I think we need to inform the police and get as many eyes out there looking for her as possible. While I do that, you two see if you can find any trace of her out here."

Jill chanced a look at Sabrina. She'd probably already done that, but with nothing else to do, Jill would do it again.

"Alright," Sabrina agreed doubtfully. She wordlessly nudged her forward and Jill went, leaving Bosley to his unpleasant phone call.

"I've already checked up and down this street," Sabrina said grimly as they jogged down the sidewalk together. "I didn't find anything."

Jill clenched her jaw. If Kelly had been taken, it must have been too fast for her to drop anything, an earring, a necklace, anything that would give them a clue that she had been taken against her will.

"If someone has her, they didn't give her a chance to drop anything," Sabrina said quietly, her hands on her hips. She shook her head in disbelief. "It happened so fast, Jill. She was right behind me one second and then she just...disappeared."

"There's no point in beating yourself up over it," Jill sighed, in a dull voice. She rubbed her eyes and looked helplessly down the street. People were milling back and forth, in and out of shops. Cars were driving by in a steady stream in both directions. Kelly could be anywhere. "Who have you talked to?"

Sabrina was staring off into the distance. She shook her head and let her arms flop to her sides in defeat. "Everyone I could think of."

"Who's everyone?"

"The people inside the store," Sabrina started, counting off on her fingers. "They said I walked in alone, so Kelly didn't even make it inside," She ticked off another finger. "Then everyone who was standing outside the library, a couple of cars stopped at the light, some people who were walking by, everyone in the place across the street, the guy that was-"

So every single person who could have possibly been a witness. _Great_. Jill waved a hand to stop her. "Okay, okay," She interrupted. "Who else could have seen what happened?"

Sabrina just shook her head. "Jill, I don't know."

"Do any of these places around here have cameras?"

Another shake of her head. "No, I asked."

Jill fought back the urge to scream. "Well, _somebody_ had to have seen something, look how fucking busy it is out here!"

"And those people are all gone too," Sabrina said darkly.

Jill swore to herself, loudly enough that a passing woman gave her a dirty look. She ignored it. " _Somebody_ had to have seen her."

Sabrina scoffed. "I'm sure lots of people _did_ ," She started, her voice getting more and more ragged as she went on. "And those people went on their way and they're long gone by now too. No one is just _hanging_ out in one spot except for the people who are at work and I've already talked to everyone I could think of."

Jill took a deep breath and put a calming hand on her friend's back. She needed Sabrina's nimble mind right now, they all did, and right now she wasn't thinking clearly. And having her fall to pieces right here in the street wasn't going to help them get Kelly back. "Okay, Bri. Just calm down. It's gonna be okay."

Sabrina stared at her like she was stupid. " _Okay_?" She spat. "How could it be okay?!"

Jill didn't have an answer. "If someone _did_ take her… and they were in a car, where would they go?"

"Well, how the hell should I know?!" Sabrina sighed. She stared up the street and, to Jill's relief, looked to finally be thinking. "If they wanted to get her as far away from me as possible, I guess they might get on the freeway. Unless they took her somewhere else nearby."

Hoping to encourage her, Jill nodded her head. "Okay, the freeway is that way," She said, pointing.

"I went up the block that way," Sabrina sighed. "I didn't find anything. I don't even have a vehicle or a person to ask about, I just turned my back-"

"And she was gone," Jill cut her off. "Okay, where else could they have taken her nearby?"

Sabrina thought for a moment. "There's nothing but businesses in this part of town," She said, shaking her head. "There are some apartments down that way a few miles but…" She stopped and shook her head again, looking completely hopeless and lost. "…if they were in a car, they could be anywhere by now. It's been almost an hour."

Jill was beginning to see just how desperate the situation was. If Kelly was taken and hadn't left them anything right here, the spot where it had happened, then there was little chance at her being able to drop them some clues if she was unconscious or had her hands tied or from the inside of a car or a trunk or wherever the hell she was. "Then… let's …let's just look again."

Sabrina didn't say anything, but nonetheless, kept stride with Jill as she hurried down the street.

They'd gone completely around the block twice before they saw Bosley waving at them from down the street. They probably looked like maniacs weaving through the crowd as she and Sabrina ran toward him, but Jill didn't care.

"Anything?" She asked breathlessly, pulling to stop in front of him.

Bosley shook his head. "I called Charlie and let him know what was going on. He got in touch with the police but-" He trailed off, not looking at all happy.

"But what?" Sabrina pressed. "Don't tell me they want us to wait twenty-four hours?! She could be dead by then for all we know!"

"Twenty-four hours. That's exactly what they said," Bosley explained. He raised his hand to keep Sabrina from exploding."But Charlie pulled some strings. We filled them in on the situation. We might not have as many eyes as we want out looking for her, but we'll have a few. And if she's still missing by this time tomorrow, then we'll have more." His gaze danced over to Sabrina and he gave her a cautious smile. "Charlie talked to Bill personally. He says he's willing to help."

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "Now, why doesn't _that_ make me feel any better?"

"He let Bill know how serious this was," Bosley sighed. "He might not be Kelly's-" He looked uncomfortable as he searched for an appropriate description. "- _biggest fan_ , but he said he'd help us find her. It's better than nothing."

"Yeah, but not much," Sabrina scoffed.

"We'll need all the help we can get," Jill pointed out. Kelly and Bill's longstanding feud wasn't important at the moment. Finding Kelly was. "We checked around the block again and no sign of her. Maybe, if we split up, we can- _what_?!" She stopped when she noticed the way Bosley was looking at her.

Bosley raised his hands in surrender as if expecting to ward off an attack. "Listen, Charlie thinks that we should go back to Kelly's house."

Jill stared at Sabrina, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"What?" She blurted out. "Just leave and go watch TV at Kelly's when she could be hurt or scared or… or… God knows what?!"

Bosley shook his head. "No, no, not like that. We might be dealing with a ransom situation here," He clarified. "Whoever has her might have some demands of us. They would call her house, don't you think?"

Jill felt her heart sink. "If we leave, we might miss talking to someone who's seen her," She argued. "We don't have time."

Sabrina appeared to agree. "She's right, Bos. If it's a ransom they want, they won't hurt her. At least not yet, but if not…" She trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought.

Jill groaned. It didn't matter, her frazzled mind had finished that thought for her. Beamish and a collection of foster parents had all gone missing without a trace just like Kelly and that hadn't turned out well for any of them. She didn't know if she wanted to scream or cry.

"We need to exhaust every possible angle here before we give up," Sabrina went on. "Why don't you go wait at Kelly's, give us a couple more hours to look and then…and then if we don't have anything by then, we'll meet you back at her place."

Bosley stared at them for a moment before sighing his defeat. "Alright," He agreed reluctantly. "I'll go to Kelly's house. You stay here," He fixed them with a stern look. "I will be sitting by the phone. I want you to call every half hour. And stay together, we can't afford for anything else to happen."

"Okay," Sabrina said quickly. "We'll check in with you later."

Bosley worriedly rubbed his face. He didn't like leaving them, Jill knew, but he didn't have a choice. She tossed him her car keys. "Alright then. You girls be careful."

With that, he turned and headed back up the street to where Jill had left the car. The girls watched him go, feeling more and more helpless by the moment. Time was of the essence and it was slipping away minute by minute.

"Let's go check on that side of the street," Sabrina said wearily. "You got a picture of her in your purse, right?"

Jill nodded numbly. "Yeah."

"Good," Sabrina replied. "Come on, let's see if anyone has seen anything," Without waiting for either a reply or a red light, she jogged off across the street, ducking through the slow moving traffic. Jill followed, praying that they'd have better luck on the other side.

* * *

"She was right there and… and I turned my back - for just a second!- and she was gone!" Sabrina explained. It was the about the thousandth time Jill had heard it and if she had to hear it again she might just lose her mind.

Jill groaned and dropped her head into her hands. It had been almost five hours since Sabrina had called and given her the news and there was still no sign of Kelly anywhere. It was getting dark out now. The day had ended and Kelly was still gone, having apparently vanished without a trace.

After leaving Bosley, she and Sabrina spent the next two and a half hours combing the area, searching frantically for any sign of Kelly, but even as they searched, they knew there was nothing to find. Anyone who could have possibly seen Kelly had been long gone before Jill had even started looking.

Finally, after some persuading by Bosley, they'd reluctantly returned to Kelly's house to regroup. Of course, no one had called to demand a ransom in the meantime and because they were out of ideas, Bosley decided to call Charlie again.

She should have been with them, Jill thought guiltily to herself. They should have all stayed together. That too was probably the thousandth time that thought had crossed her mind and, just like Sabrina, the repetition didn't make things any better.

"I've already gotten the word out to the local police who've agreed to help us." Charlie's voice crackled from the loudspeaker. He was trying his best to remain calm, but Jill could hear the ragged edge to his voice. "I've given them Kelly's description and last known whereabouts."

"If she was anywhere near her last known whereabouts, we would have found her by now!" Sabrina cried. She had stopped pacing when Charlie started speaking but started right up again as soon as he was done. "I swear it, Charlie!" She went on again, her voice steadily rising in pitch. "She was right there! I turned my back for one sec-"

"And she was gone, we know!" Jill cut her off in frustration.

Sabrina whirled on her. "If yelling at me was gonna be any help-"

"It's helping just as much as you repeating that story," Jill shot back heatedly.

"Will the two of you stop fighting with each other?!" Bosley cried.

"Girls, please." Charlie sighed. He wasn't any louder than Bosley had been, but there was enough authority in his voice to quiet them. Jill checked herself and did her best to swallow the raw emotion creeping up her throat. This was the third argument between herself and Sabrina that Charlie had stopped.

"I know you're upset," Charlie continued when the room fell silent. "I am too, but Bosley's right. Fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to help us find Kelly. Now, as I've said, Bill has agreed to help and the police are on the lookout. If she's in the area, she'll turn up."

Jill clenched her jaw. _"Turning up"_ , she didn't like the sound of that. That's what dead people did. That's what a string of Kelly's abusive foster parents had just done after they too had disappeared without a trace. Another surge of anxiety spiked in her chest and, unable to sit, she popped to her feet. "I think we should make another sweep of the area." She suggested. It probably wouldn't help, but doing that would be more productive than sitting here and slowly going crazy.

"If you'd like. That's all we can do for now." Charlie agreed.

She must not have been the only one with that idea, because Sabrina and Bosley were already gathering their things to go. "We'll check back from a pay-phone every half hour." Sabrina was saying as she slung her purse over her shoulder.

"I'll let you know the moment I find anything," Charlie promised. "Please, do the same."

"Will do, Charlie," Jill said quickly. Bosley was loitering by the phone, waiting to hang it up. "Come on!" She mouthed at him, urgently waving him over. It felt like a maddeningly slow process to watch him click off the speaker and turn on the answering machine.

Now that Charlie was gone, Bosley deemed himself in charge. "Girls, wait!" he called, hurrying toward them. "We need some kind of plan or we'll be chasing our tails all over downtown."

Jill was already crowding Sabrina by the door. "We can make a plan in the car." She said impatiently.

"Wouldn't make any sense going in one car," Bosley told her calmly. "We should take all the cars so we can cover more ground."

"I thought we were supposed to stay together." Jill sighed.

Beside her, Sabrina snorted. "What the hell is the point of that now, Jill?"

"My thoughts exactly," Bosley agreed. "So, I'll be taking-" He paused, looking expectantly at both women.

Sabrina cracked first. "My car," She said quickly, flinging him her car keys. He deftly caught them in one hand. "Jill, you take your car and I'll take Kelly's."

Jill fought the urge to scream. She could have been down the street by now. "I'm _trying_ to take my car!" She snapped, but still, she stomped over to Kelly's end table. The letter was still sitting ominously on top of a stack of mail. She tried her best to ignore it as she rooted around under Kelly's mess. Something jingled against her hand and she snatched up her friend's car keys.

"Ok, a plan, a plan," Sabrina muttered to herself. Jill pushed the keys into her hand and she took them without a word. "Okay, how about this-" She suddenly spoke up. Her brown eyes lit up the way they always did whenever she came up with something brilliant. No doubt the plan she'd just worked out in her head was every bit as brilliant as anything she had ever come up with and much more brilliant than anything Jill was thinking of at the moment.

But, whatever it was would remain a mystery. Before Sabrina could get it out, a timid knock took the words right out of her mouth. It hadn't been loud, but all three detectives nearly jumped out of their skin.

Jill glanced up. Her, Sabrina, and Bosley all stared stupidly at one another until finally, Sabrina snapped out of her trance and flung herself at the door.

Half a second at the peephole she turned.

"It's Kelly!" Sabrina blurted out, her voice both surprised and relieved all at the same time.

Bosley blinked. "Kelly?"

 _Kelly?_

Jill felt as if her heart had stopped.

Sabrina was fumbling frantically at the deadbolt on the door and Jill felt every muscle tense as she watched, wanting so desperately to believe that it really was Kelly on the other side of the door and that their world was set to right again.

A split second later, her patience dissipated. She couldn't believe everything was alright, not until she saw Kelly with her own eyes. Until she did, she would be stuck in this terrible limbo and she couldn't take it an instant longer.

She had just started toward to the door to shove Sabrina away and unlock it herself when it finally flung open and, just as Bri said, there was Kelly, standing in the darkness of her front porch as if nothing had happened. The sight of her, just standing there in the shadows, the last person any of them had expected, had them staring in a stupor once more.

"Oh my God," Jill released a sharp breath, relief flooding through her like a wave. She rushed toward her friend but pulled up short just before reaching her, relief suddenly melding right back into shock. Something was wrong. _So very wrong._

Kelly's voice greeted them quietly. "Hey. I'm home."


	19. How Do You Solve a Problem Like Kelly?

_Apologies for being so slow in getting this posted, it was a busy week. To make up for it, I've combined the next two chapters into this update. There are about five chapters left to go and hopefully they will be posted much more quickly than these were._

 _\- glambo_

* * *

The room fell into a stunned silence.

In the doorway, Kelly was looking about uncomfortably, her hands folded in front of her like a nervous schoolgirl. Sabrina hadn't yet moved and was blocking the door. "So, can I come in?" She asked, forcing a slight laugh.

In response, Jill continued gaping at her in disbelief, her voice seemingly caught in her throat.

Luckily, Sabrina wasn't suffering from the same affliction.

All at once, she snapped out of her trance. "Whoa, what the hell happened to your face?!" Jill heard Sabrina blurt out before lurching forward to drag Kelly inside.

The sudden movement had Kelly skittering back a few steps. "Bri, no I'm okay-" She said breathlessly, trying to dodge Sabrina's attempts to get a hold of her. She wasn't nearly fast enough and by the time Sabrina had pulled her stumbling inside, Jill and Bosley both had snapped out of it as well.

Halfway thinking Kelly was going to fall, Jill rushed forward to help Sabrina. "Kelly!" She sputtered finally, not knowing where to even start. "What…what are…what's going on?!"

The front door shut behind them and then Bosley was at their side. "Kelly, what happened?!" He was the next to echo everyone's sentiments and the third to do so without Kelly attempting to answer.

Bosley and Sabrina were both talking now, their concerned questions tumbling all over each other, rendering them indecipherable. Kelly was only staring blankly, still not answering, and Jill felt herself quickly growing impatient in the chaos.

Not Kelly, though. For having a barrage of questions thrown at her, she wasn't getting upset.

They were crowding her too and to add to Jill's confusion, Kelly looked perfectly calm. She only sighed tolerantly and gently tugged her arm out of her and Sabrina's grip. "It's fine," She said quietly. "Really."

"Fine? It doesn't look _fine_!" Sabrina cried, her voice rising in pitch once again. "Wh-…are you alright?!"

Kelly managed a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm alright. I know how it looks, I ju-"

Jill's patience ran out.

"Kelly, what the hell _happened_?!" She yelled at her. She hadn't meant it to come out as loud and angry as it did, but the sight of Kelly walking into her house looking the way she did had been a shock to her system.

Three pairs of eyes glanced up at her and then away.

As loud as she had been, no one paid much attention to her outburst and that was even more annoying than Kelly not answering the question.

But at least her outburst had briefly distracted Kelly and that was just long enough for Bosley to step in and get both hands firmly onto her shoulders. With a gentle push, he started leading her toward the living room. Wordlessly, she let him and Sabrina guide her over to the couch and with nothing else to do, Jill hurried after them.

"Sit down, sit down," Bosley ordered her and Kelly sat, pointedly refusing to look up and meet the shocked and concerned faces of everyone around her.

Jill stared hard at her, wondering just what in the hell she could have gotten herself into. A fight, obviously, and she must not have fared too well. Her face was battered and bruised and though she seemed to already have cleaned herself up, there were still scrapes and cuts that looked like they needed more tending than she'd given them.

Kelly was still doing her best not to make eye contact with them and Jill had to swallow her frustration. _Goddammit_ , _Kelly_ , she thought wearily to herself. She gave herself a mental slap, sat down next to her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. Time to change gears. There wasn't any point in standing around screeching at her. That wouldn't get her story out any faster. "Kelly, tell us what happened," She said gently. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Kelly started again, and Jill noticed again how breathless and strained she sounded. "Look, I got mugged okay."

"Mugged?" Sabrina blurted out in confusion. She reached out to her. "How…"

"Just quit hovering," Kelly sighed, shrugging them both away. "I'm okay. I know it looks bad-"

"It looks very bad," Bosley spoke up seriously. "You can tell us what happened on the way to the hospital. We need to get you to a doctor."

Kelly laughed and shook her head. "No, Bos. I'm okay. I don't need a-"

"Yes, you do," Bosley said firmly. He shot Jill and Sabrina a knowing look and, guessing exactly what he wanted, they both took Kelly's arms to pull her to her feet.

Her face fell and, realizing that her friends were dead serious, she dropped the light-hearted act. "No, no, wait! I'm fine," Kelly insisted quickly, squirming free once more.

"Kelly…" Jill warned.

She only doubled down. " _Really_ , It's not as bad as it looks, I don't need a doctor," Sabrina made another attempt to take her arm while she spoke and again Kelly squirmed away. "Will you _quit_?!" She cried, irritated now. "I said, I'm fine!"

"I _know_ you did, but you're _not_ fine!" Sabrina snapped at her.

"Kelly, we can't drag you to the car. If you won't go, I think I can convince Dr. Anders to make a house call," Bosley sighed. He started towards the phone, and desperate now, Kelly pushed herself up, lurched forward and snatched him by his sleeve.

"No! It's okay, it's okay," She said quickly. Her face was set in a grimace as if moving that quickly had hurt her. Despite what Kelly was telling them, her behavior wasn't helping her case at all.

Bosley only stared at her, caught between worried and confused. "Honey, you're hurt-"

"It's not as bad as it looks!" Kelly insisted once more.

"Yeah, you said that," Sabrina told her suspiciously. "You keep saying that. That doesn't make it true, you know."

Kelly threw up her hands. "What? Yeah, I'm a little roughed up, I'll admit it. But, look: I'm alright," Her busted lip curved into a mischievous smile. "Besides, you should see the other guy."

She was trying to be funny but, in the silence of her living room, her attempt fell flat. Jill glanced up at both Sabrina and Bosley, and wearily flipped her hand toward their stubborn friend. They'd let her win.

For now, anyway.

Bosley heaved a deep sigh and took Kelly by the shoulders again. "Then you'd better sit down, honey, and tell us what happened."

Kelly sat herself down on the couch, still grimacing as she did, and looking relieved to be sitting down again. She had to be in more pain than she was letting on. Worried, Jill sat down next to her and laid a hand on her back.

"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked doubtfully.

Kelly nodded her head. "I already said I was," She scooted forward on the couch, shying away from Jill's touch.

"So, since we're not going anywhere," Sabrina said flatly, shooting Bosley a look as she did. "Tell us what happened."

Kelly looked up at her, annoyed. "I was getting there."

Sabrina was almost out of patience. "Well, get there faster," she said. "What happened? Where did you go when I went in to use the phone?"

"Okay, okay," Kelly sighed, her hands up in mock surrender. "I was following you inside the store and I heard something. I thought someone might have been following us. So, I went to check it out."

Sabrina made a noise in the back of her throat and looked quickly between Bosley and Jill. "Why didn't you tell me where you were going?"

"You were inside already."

Sabrina gaped at her. "I know I was _inside_. Why didn't you call me!?"

"Ugh," Kelly groaned. "I _did_ call you. I tried to get your attention and you couldn't hear me. You were walking so fast, I couldn't catch you. I would have had to yell and I couldn't be too loud or I'd spook the guy," The looks on Sabrina and Bosley's face didn't go unnoticed and, frustrated, she turned beseechingly toward Jill on the couch. "I _had_ to see if we were being followed, you would have done the same thing."

Jill made a face. "No, I would have waited for Sabrina. Like you _should_ have done."

Without any allies, Kelly only shook her head. "I didn't say it was a _smart_ thing to do. I _know_ it was stupid. But, I had to see. I thought if I could just see who was following us, maybe we could catch a break and then…" She sighed and then wearily finished her thought. "...and then this would all be over."

"So you went chasing shadows. And then what happened?" Sabrina asked impatiently.

Kelly paused for a moment and dropped her head. When she looked back up, she looked almost embarrassed. "And then I walked right into a mugger's waiting arms, that's what happened."

Jill stared at her, confused. "What did he do?"

"What muggers always do," Kelly laughed. "He took my purse. I almost walked into him. He had a knife. Told me if I screamed, he'd use it. Call me crazy, but I believed him."

"Oh, Kelly," Jill sighed. Maybe she didn't want to hear this story after all.

"Then he made me walk with him," Kelly went on, her gaze traveling up to Sabrina. "I wanted to call for you, I really did. But, I didn't want to be shish-kabob either. I figured I'd have to wait until he gave me a chance to make a run for it."

Jill looked up to see how Sabrina was reacting to that strange bit of news but saw that her friend was busy sending Bosley a look of her own. She didn't need to ask to know what her two friends were thinking.

Had this just been a chance mugging or something more?

And more importantly, she wondered, why didn't Kelly see it?

"And did he give you a chance?" Bosley asked doubtfully. "Or did you have to make your own?"

"He did," Kelly replied easily. "He made go with him to this empty lot a few blocks away. It backed up to some kind of a garage and after a while he wanted me to go inside with him. I figured if I did, that would be it for me. So I rushed him. We had it out and I'm here with you instead of dead in an alley." She brightened. "And I _still_ have my purse."

Jill could only stare at her friend. "You had it out with him?" She echoed. A quick glance downward had her even more confused. Kelly's arms were bruised up, one of her elbows was scraped bloody. But, none of that bruising was evident on the knuckles of either of her hands.

But again, Kelly nodded. "I grabbed him, we both fell. He dropped the knife, but he got some good swings at me anyway. Then I got in a lucky kick and didn't stop kicking until he was running down the street."

Jill stared at her suspiciously. There were bloodstains all down the front of her shirt and her jacket, but none on her face. She'd had to have stopped somewhere that at least had a mirror to clean herself up. Unless someone had helped her. "Where did you go for help?"

Kelly shook her head. "I didn't really, I-"

"We were looking everywhere for you, Kelly," Sabrina started up. "Where did you go?"

To Jill's irritation, Kelly abandoned the question she'd been answering and turned back to Sabrina. "I went back looking for you. And when I couldn't find you, I went looking for a pay-phone instead. But, remember how much trouble we had finding one?" She turned to Bosley. "Bos, there wasn't a payphone for at least seven blocks. And I didn't really want to walk inside a business in my-" She gestured toward her face. "I didn't exactly look presentable."

"You should have anyway," Jill scolded her. "You should have called the cops."

Kelly made a face. "There wasn't much point by then. He was long gone and he didn't get anything from me."

That sent Sabrina over the edge. "Kelly, you were assaulted! He tried to force you inside some abandoned building to do…to do _God knows what_ to you and you don't think the cops need to hear about that?!"

"I _did_ report it!" Kelly shot back defensively. "But, not right then. I was more interested in finding you. I got to a gas station to clean myself up and I used their pay-phone, but I couldn't get a hold of any of you."

Jill groaned. "We were out looking for you."

"I figured that," Kelly sighed. "I called your mobile phone and then I called Marco's. Some waitress said you were there but you'd left hours ago. I didn't know what to do so I waited around to bum a ride," She stopped and gave a flippant gesture toward her face. "You ever try catching a ride with someone when you look like you just went fifteen rounds with Apollo Creed? Anyway, I finally bummed a ride with a tow truck driver. I had no clue where you were so I just decided to come home and wait for you here. And so I did. And I found you."

Her story over, Kelly flopped back into the cushions of her couch.

Sabrina was quiet for a moment, her brown eyes boring holes into their battered friend. By the look on her face, Jill knew she was about to voice what all three of them were thinking. "And while you were out roaming the city by yourself, did it ever occur to you that this might not have been a chance mugging." She said slowly.

Kelly pulled a face. "What?"

"You don't think that guy who attacked you was working for Greg Samson?"

This time, Kelly smiled. "Oh, no, Bri. I doubt it. This was just a case of some really, really bad luck."

It didn't seem that way to anyone else. Least of all Jill.

"Bad luck, Kelly?" Jill sighed. "Someone is out looking for you and all of a sudden you're kidnapped by some guy at knife-point and forced into some dark alley?"

Kelly laughed. "I wasn't kidnapped. I-"

"You had a knife pulled on you and were made to go somewhere against your will, Kelly. That is the legal definition of kidnapped." Bosley chimed in wearily.

He was right, of course, but Kelly only shrugged again. "Well… I don't think he was working for Greg Samson."

"Kelly, you don't possibly think that this was all-" Sabrina started.

"A what?" Kelly challenged her. "A _coincidence_? Where have I heard _that_ before?" She groaned and rubbed her head. She was in pain, Jill noticed grimly, there was some deep bruising above her brow that disappeared into her mass of dark hair and there was no way it didn't hurt. "And yes, I do. There was no way that guy worked for Greg Samson."

"Oh, Kelly, how could you possibly know that?" Jill huffed.

Kelly turned to her. "Because, Jill, he was sloppy. Because, if he was someone Greg Samson hired to kidnap me, he'd have been better at it. I'd be dead in the bay by now or locked up somewhere and you'd be reading my ransom note right about now," She paused and offered them a grin. "But he wasn't. He was some idiot nobody and that's why I got the jump on him."

The room was quiet for a moment. Jill looked around at her companions, not knowing what exactly to think. She wracked her brain for a moment longer before deciding that it didn't even matter at the moment. Kelly was home, Kelly was safe. _That_ was what mattered.

Sighing, Jill rose to her feet and tried again to get a better look at Kelly's face. Again, she pulled away, but not in time to hide the obvious wince of pain. "You look awful," Jill told her bluntly. "If you don't want a doctor, we have a first aid kit here. Me and Bri could-"

Kelly shook her head. "You don't need to do that, Jill. I said I'm-"

"What, fine?" Sabrina cut her off heatedly. "Is _that_ what you were about to say?"

Kelly blinked. "Bri, I'm-"

"Don't say it," Sabrina warned her. She shot Jill and Bosley a look and then made a rude noise in the back of her throat. "Bos, just call Dr. Anders, this is ridiculous."

"No!" Kelly groaned, looking more flustered by the second. "It's okay! I just- " She paused and heaved an irritated sigh. "I just want to take a shower and go to bed, alright?

Bosley, his hand already on the phone, just raised an eyebrow and lifted the receiver to his ear.

Kelly groaned and, knowing she wasn't going to get a say, flopped back into the couch cushions in defeat. "It's after eight, he doesn't want to make a house call." She grumbled.

"Relax, I'm calling Charlie," Bosley told her as he dialed. "Dr. Anders _doesn't_ make house calls. Not unless Charlie convinces him."

Kelly muttered something under her breath and closed her eyes. She looked so frustrated with the prospect of letting them help her that all of sudden Jill's frayed nerves could take it no longer.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Jill snapped angrily. She saw Kelly's eyes open back up in surprise. "I can't believe you! Why don't you want any help!?"

Kelly stared at her. "Bec-"

"No, nevermind!" Jill cut her off, raising a hand to silence her. "Just don't answer. Cause if you say 'fine' one more time, I think I'm going to clock you myself."

She had no idea why Sabrina suddenly started to laugh, but for some reason that irritated her as well.

"It's not funny," Jill snapped at her.

Sabrina raised both hands in surrender. "I never said it was." She turned back to Kelly and her expression sobered. "Look, Kell, she's right," she said, laying a gentle hand on her friend's cheek to get a better look at her injuries. "Just calm down and let us help you. It'll only take a few mi- "

Kelly pushed her away with an annoyed sigh. "Will you _stop_?! I _am_ calm, I just-"

"Charlie," Bosley's voice greeted and Sabrina abandoned her inspection of Kelly's face to turn toward him. "Good news," He raised his voice a bit, shooting the three of them a warning look to drive home the point that Charlie was on the phone and their argument needed to be put on hold. "Kelly's back. You can call off the hounds."

Jill tried to swallow her anger and frustration and forced herself to sit back down. Bosley was trying to sound upbeat and she supposed he had reason to be. Kelly was home now, after all. But, despite that, she found herself still fuming and still on edge. She knew Kelly could be reckless but for her to have been this unfathomably stupid and risk her life the way she did had Jill seeing red.

But that wasn't completely it, was it?

There was something else going on and it was driving her crazy - and Sabrina and Bosley too, no doubt- that Kelly wouldn't tell them what it was.

"That's very good to hear," Charlie's voice crackled from the speaker, interrupting Jill's troubled thoughts. "Is she in the room with you?"

"She is," Kelly answered him quickly.

"We're all here," Sabrina added, also trying to sound cheerful.

Jill sighed inwardly. Sabrina's cheery tone sounded just as convincing as Bosley's had.

"Kelly, it's good to have you back. Care to enlighten us as to where you've been the past few hours?"

Kelly fumbled for a moment. "Trying to find everyone," She explained brightly and, to Jill's ever-increasing irritation, she did a much better job of faking lightheartedness than her friends had done.

"Trying to find everyone?" Charlie echoed back, unamused. Everyone's unusual tones had to have alerted him to something amiss. "What's going on? I don't understand, angel."

"I got mugged, Charlie," Kelly went on.

"Mugged?" Came Charlie's concerned voice. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Kelly answered, but her voice was drowned out by the simultaneous disagreements from her companions.

"She's not fine," Sabrina called out over Kelly's protesting. "She's lying."

Charlie took Sabrina's side as he usually did. "Do you need a doctor, Kelly?"

Kelly looked more than flustered by the betrayal. "No, Charlie. I'm fine," She said evenly, shooting Sabrina a look. "Just a little bruised up. They're overreacting. I'll be okay."

Charlie was quiet for a moment. "Sabrina?"

Sabrina cleared her throat, avoiding eye-contact with Kelly. "I think we'd all feel better if she got looked at."

Bosley nodded and this time Kelly was the recipient of his " _I told you so_ " look. She only rolled her eyes and flopped back to the couch in defeat.

"I'll send Dr. Anders over immediately," Charlie said. "Kelly, I'm glad you're alright."

Kelly looked like she would rather be with her mugger at the moment. "Me too, Charlie," She said as unconvincingly as possible.

"Kelly, this man that attacked you-" Charlie went on. "Is it possible he may have been sent by-"

Kelly was already shaking her head. "By Greg Samson?" She interrupted quickly "No, Charlie, I don't. That's what Sabrina thought too, but he wasn't the type. He just wanted my purse. And he didn't get that either."

"It might be a little too early to cross that off of our list. Can you give me a description?"

Kelly balked. "I can, but I think it's a waste of time."

"I have quite a bit of time," Came Charlie's final answer.

Jill stared at her friend, a bit puzzled as to why she was being so evasive. "Just tell him," She whispered. Kelly was getting anxious, she could tell, but didn't understand why.

"Okay. He was about medium height, maybe five nine or ten. Dark eyes. Brown hair, maybe dark blonde, I couldn't tell. He had a hat on."

"What was he wearing?" Charlie asked after a moment.

"Uh-" Kelly answered him. "A denim jacket. Jeans. A brown shirt, I think."

"How old did he look."

Kelly rubbed her eyes. "I don't know. Older than me. Maybe… maybe in his mid-thirties. I'm not sure."

"Any distinguishing marks?"

Kelly looked as if the last bit of patience keeping her together had finally snapped. "Yes, Charlie. A great big hunting knife," She said, angrily enough that Jill was taken aback. "About _this_ long-" She held up both hands about eight inches apart. "- that he was holding in front of my face. It was very shiny and _very_ distracting. He had brown eyes and brown or maybe blond hair. That's all I was able to really pick out through the distraction."

A shocked silence fell over the room.

"Alright, Kelly. Alright," Charlie broke the silence cautiously. "I'm just glad it wasn't more serious. Just to be sure, I'll send his description along to the police. If he's caught, maybe we can ask him about Greg Samson ourselves."

Kelly didn't say anything. Just stared at her hands, shoulders heaving slightly.

"It's good to have you back safe and sound, Kelly," Charlie went on. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "The four of you have had a rough day. Why don't you get some rest and I'll be in touch tomorrow morning."

No one said anything so as usual, it fell on Jill.

"Will do, Charlie," She said stiffly.

More awkward silence, as if Charlie was waiting for someone else to volunteer a few more words. It didn't happen and, after a moment, he gave up. "Alright then. Dr. Anders will be over shortly. Sleep well, angels, Bosley. Goodnight." Charlie said and the line went dead.

Immediately, Jill snatched Kelly's hand and gave her a hard squeeze. "What is hell is _wrong_ with you?!" She scolded angrily.

She had half expected an argument or at least some biting sarcasm, but Kelly only shook her head, suddenly looking very confused and agitated. "I don't know," She admitted shakily. "I already told you what happened, stop asking me so many questions," She blurted out.

Jill glanced up at Sabrina and Bosley, unsure of what to do. Neither of them approached so, out of ideas, she relaxed her grip and rubbed Kelly's arm. "Hey, what's going on?" She said, lowering her voice to what she hoped could pass for soothing at the moment.

Kelly shook her head. "Nothing. I just want a shower and I want to go to bed."

Sabrina stepped forward and laid a hand on Kelly's shoulder. "Okay, okay-" She said gently. "Tell you what, me and Bosley are gonna go back to my place."

Bosley looked up, confused. "We are?"

Sabrina stared at him. "Yes. You left the pictures there while we were looking for Kelly. The ones in the envelope."

"The envelope?" Bosley echoed, clearly missing his cue. "What are-"

"The _envelope_ ," Jill sighed irritably. "The one Sabrina told you about. _That_ envelope."

Bosley finally clicked. "Oh, right. Yes, we're going to pick up the envelope. At Sabrina's apartment."

How could Kelly possibly suspect anything with such fantastic acting, Jill thought wearily. But, if she noticed at all, it didn't even appear that Kelly cared. She was sitting quietly, staring intently at the floor in front of her.

"We'll be back, okay?" Sabrina said quietly and gave her friend a sideways hug.

"Okay," Came Kelly's monotone answer.

Sabrina gave a faint smile and patted her head. "Okay," She shot Jill a pointed look. "Jill, come lock the door after us, would you?"

With a pat to Kelly's arm, Jill rose and followed, though she knew full well - and knew Kelly did too- that Sabrina had the keys to the front door right there on her keychain. Sabrina and Bosley muttered a quick farewell to Kelly before stepping outside. Jill followed them. She was a few steps down the porch and wondering just how far away Sabrina wanted to be before she felt safe enough to talk when she finally turned around, an oddly determined look on her face.

"She's hiding something," Sabrina sang quietly.

Jill made a face. "Oh, you _think_ so?" She asked sarcastically.

Sabrina ignored the sarcasm. "Maybe you can get it out of her while we're gone."

"What does she possibly gain by not being honest with us though?" Bosley chimed in, the expression on his face both concerned and annoyed. "I mean, why not tell us what's going on?"

Jill and Sabrina shared a look. A question for the ages no doubt.

"I don't know," Sabrina sighed in response. "Because, she's Kelly and that's just how she is sometimes. We ambushed her. Thing got too tense. Jill, maybe you can calm her down and get her to open up?"

" _Me_?" Jill glanced doubtfully toward the house. She'd already yelled at Kelly twice so she wasn't quite sure why Sabrina thought _her_ the good cop out of the three of them.

"Yeah, you," Sabrina replied. "She knows I'm mad at her."

Jill raised a brow. "And I'm _not_?" Bosley was the only one who had kept his cool. She looked at him, halfway hoping he'd volunteer, but he was making a point not to meet her eye so she gave up. "Ugh, fine. I'll try."

"Yeah, do that," Sabrina sighed and then made a face. "And make her lie down or something. She looks bad."

"I will," Jill said quietly.

"Dr. Anders should be here soon," Bosley suddenly spoke up. "You've met him before. Don't open the door for anyone else."

Jill chuckled. "Not even for the Girl Scouts, Bos. I promise."

"Uh huh," Bosley grumped. "Just be careful."

"I will," Jill promised, crossing her heart. Bosley didn't seem amused.

Sabrina checked her watch and then took Bosley's arm. "We'll be back in about thirty minutes. Take care of her, huh?"

"Yeah, if she lets me," Jill sighed.

"And be _careful_ ," Bosley tossed over his shoulder one last time. Jill gamely rolled her eyes and watched them go before stepping back inside and locking the door behind her. Whatever it was that Kelly was hiding, she just hoped she could get it out of her before Sabrina and Bosley got back.

* * *

When Jill stepped back into the living room, she was pleased to see that at least one of Sabrina's objectives had been completed. In her absence, Kelly had sprawled herself across the couch. Her head was resting against the cushions and one arm flopped across her eyes.

"You okay?" Jill asked as she padded over.

"I'm okay," Kelly muttered quietly. "I'm sorry I snapped," She moved her arm so she could look her friend in the eye. "It's been a rough day, I don't know what got into me. I'm sorry, Jill."

Sabrina was right. Without a crowd, she was already settling down. She seemed calm and in control of herself once more. Relieved, Jill sat down by her friend's side.

"So, you lost the coin toss or what?" Kelly said, all of sudden.

Jill stared at her. "What?"

"You're supposed to stay and figure out what the hell is wrong with me, right? We all have keys to each other's houses, you didn't have to lock up," Kelly replied and then gave a little laugh. "Isn't that why Sabrina and Bos had to go all of a sudden?"

"No!" Jill said defensively. "I mean… well, yeah," She decided to just drop the act. "Kelly, you disappeared for over _five_ fucking hours and then you show up looking like a car ran over your face. She's worried. Bos is worried. I'm worried. Can you blame us?"

"I'm sorry," Kelly said after a moment and she looked so genuine that Jill almost felt bad for snapping at her. "I tried to call you."

"I know you did. So, what happened?" Jill asked, trying to soften her tone.

Kelly only shrugged. "I already told you what happened, Jill. It wasn't one of my best moments. But, I'm sorry. I really am. I put myself in a bad situation and… well, I didn't mean to worry all of you."

She flopped back into the cushions and closed her eyes with a weary sigh. Jill just sat, studying her in silence, not knowing if she should push her or not, despite what Sabrina wanted. After a while, she gave up. Since "get answers from Kelly" couldn't be checked off of Sabrina's checklist right now, there was only one more thing left to do.

Without explaining herself, she pushed herself to her feet and headed toward the kitchen. Kelly had her eyes open and was watching curiously when she came back into the room a few minutes later.

Jill met her friend's questioning gaze and, forcing a smile, held up the ice pack she'd retrieved from the freezer so that Kelly could see it. At least _someone_ was getting answers around here. "Can I at least give you this?"

Her side must have really hurt because instead of fighting it, Kelly accepted her offering with a quiet thanks and laid it across her ribs.

Jill sank down beside her. "Bos said the doctor will be here in a few minutes," She said after a moment.

Kelly readjusted herself, wincing in pain as she did. "I wish Charlie hadn't bothered him. I don't need a doctor," She muttered stubbornly.

Jill only stared. The irony seemed to be lost on her. "Well, we'll feel better once he looks at you anyway. It won't take long and then you can get a shower and go to bed, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay." Jill patted Kelly's shoulder. "Are you hungry? I could make you a sandwich?"

"No, thanks," Kelly answered quietly and not knowing what else to do for her Jill went quiet and the two women lapsed into silence.

A few minutes ticked by and Jill felt herself starting to get antsy. She mulled over a few ways of possibly bringing up the mugging again without alerting Kelly's suspicions and then just decided to wait until the doctor had gone. Luckily, he arrived only a few moments later, much to Jill's relief, and Charlie must have paid him well because didn't seem at all annoyed about having to make a house call at nine in the evening.

Kelly was much less happy about it than she was, but luckily, she cooperated well enough. Dr. Anders poked and prodded at her, asking about a million questions as he tended to her injuries. Jill stayed out of his way and watched, feeling relieved that Kelly didn't seem to have anything seriously wrong with her. Until the doctor made her lift her shirt, revealing deep purple and red bruising all over Kelly's left side that went a long way in explaining her strained voice and why it hurt her to move, as well as why she wouldn't let any of her friends examine her. Jill felt stupid for having missed it, but it was miracle nothing was broken. The doctor did what he could for her with what he had on hand, and with orders to rest for a few days, he was gone.

Jill closed the door after him and then tiredly padded back into the living room. Kelly had been told to lie down so of course, she was sitting up.

"So was that part of the few good swings he got at you?" Jill asked dryly, sitting down next to her.

Kelly was gingerly pressing the ice pack back against her side. Even _she_ had seemed surprised to hear that nothing was broken. "Part of it, yeah," She muttered.

"Why didn't you just tell us how bad you were hurt?" Jill asked her and didn't care how frustrated she sounded. "You should have had that tow truck driver take you straight to the hospital. I don't understand why the hell he didn't."

Kelly opened her eyes. "Because I gave him forty bucks."

 _Forty bucks?_

Jill just stared at her in disbelief. Without wanting to, she could picture Kelly doing exactly that to avoid medical attention. "Well, that was a smooth move. Now, you're out forty bucks and you _still_ had to see a doctor."

"Tell me about it."

Jill could think of a lot of things she wanted to tell her. "You're something else, you know that?" She said quietly after a moment. "You should have let him instead of pretending you were okay. You shouldn't be embarrassed to ask for help, you know. Who could blame you, look at you."

Kelly smiled. "What, _this_? This is an amateur's work. You heard the doctor, he didn't even _break_ anything." She laughed softly. "I've had old nuns beat me up worse than this without even trying."

"Kelly…" Jill warned her quietly. Kelly was trying to be funny, but it hardly seemed the time. Sometimes she hated her friend's somewhat morbid sense of humor, especially when she made light of her less than ideal childhood.

Kelly's laughter tapered off. "You know, they'd probably be happy to tell you all about it too," She continued darkly. "Only Greg Samson killed them all and that makes it hard to ask, doesn't it?" She glanced up and fixed Jill with a humorless smile. "You know, if I were that mugger, I'd watch my back. This isn't a good week for people who were mean to me."

Jill swatted her arm lightly. "Oh, stop."

" _Careful_ ," Kelly sang.

In no mood to put up with jokes, Jill snatched her hand. "Stop it, Kelly!" She scolded her. "I mean it. This _isn't_ funny."

The smile faded from Kelly's face. "No, I guess it's not," She admitted softly.

"Not even close," Jill sighed. She reached out and patted the couch. Maybe once she'd slept, this weird mood that Kelly was in would pass. "Lie down," she urged. "Come on."

"I don't want to lie-"

"Kelly!"

Maybe she wasn't doing as good a job at hiding how upset she was, because Kelly shot her an apologetic look. "Okay, sorry," She said quietly and, wincing, she laid herself back down, propped her head against the armrest and closed her eyes. "Hey, Jill?" She started after a moment.

Jill was too upset at her to meet her eye but gave a cross answer nonetheless. "Yeah?"

"Remember the other day?" Kelly went on, seemingly oblivious to the coldness in her tone. "When I told you about how I wished my foster parents would die when I was little?"

 _What the hell?_

It was a random comment, but she _did_ remember. Forgetting her anger, Jill looked up curiously. "Uh, yeah?"

"This... whatever's going on… this probably would have made me happy when I was a kid. I know that's-" There was a pause while she struggled for a word. "- _sick_ , I guess. But, I didn't know any better. Them dying was the only way I could think of for me to get another placement," Kelly continued in a soft voice. "But, now... I don't know. As much as I hated them all, I don't think they deserved to die the way they did. It wasn't right."

Jill didn't know what to say. Instead, she rested her hand on her friend's shoulder, hoping she was being supportive. "No one deserves to die like that no matter how bad they are."

"They were pretty bad," Kelly replied.

"They were."

Kelly kept her eyes closed. Maybe that's why she could be so open. "They did awful things to me. I was scared of them. I… that was my whole life, just get through the day without getting hurt."

Jill gave her another awkward pat on the shoulder.

"Beamish was the worst of them though," She went on unprompted. "And… even then…" She trailed off and then smiled. "I don't know. Still. All those people Greg Samson killed. Even though they hurt me… they didn't deserve … _that_."

"I know," Jill replied quietly.

Kelly opened her eyes and fixed her gaze on the ceiling directly above her. She lay quietly for a few moments, looking troubled. "If I hadn't been a part of their lives they wouldn't have died, would they? They'd still be here."

Where exactly was this reflective mood heading, Jill wondered uneasily. "You're not blaming yourself are you?" She asked, surprised.

"No," Kelly answered immediately, still staring listlessly up at the ceiling. "Just... it's true, isn't it?"

Jill made a rude noise. "As long as we're doing _that_ , if they had been _decent_ to you, they'd still be alive too," She countered. "It's not your fault. It's not like you had a choice."

"I didn't," Kelly continued quietly. "But, they had their whole lives ahead of them and instead of living, they died because of me," She turned to Jill sadly. " _She_ died because of me, Jill."

Jill sighed and brushed back a stray lock of hair from her friend's forehead. Kelly's train of thought had derailed somewhere. This was getting nowhere fast. "Not because of you," She assured her, brushing back her hair. Kelly's Southern drawl was surfacing, she realized all of a sudden and getting more and more prominent. Having lived in California for years, she normally had a good handle on it, but there were still times when her speech relaxed and that familiar twang took over. Usually whenever she was drunk or very tired. Since there wasn't any alcohol in sight, Jill figured it must be the latter. Maybe coaxing information out of her would be easier done in the morning after a good night's sleep.

God knew they could all use that about now.

"Okay..." Jill started in what she hoped was her most logical voice. "Listen, you're getting all weird on me and we haven't even been drinking."

Kelly smiled, though that odd, contemplative look didn't leave her face. "Maybe we _should_ be drinking."

"No, we _shouldn't,_ " Jill said sternly. "That's the _last_ thing you need," She patted her arm. "Listen to me. Beamish getting killed isn't your fault, okay? None of these people deserved to die, but what happened to them isn't your fault, " She stared at Kelly a moment and then could no longer finish her thought. "Actually, you know what? I can't even say that. I take it back. _She_ might have deserved what she got, the old bitch."

Kelly laughed softly. "Maybe."

"But, the point is, it wasn't your fault," Jill finished.

Kelly closed her eyes and didn't say anything.

"Alright," Jill said after a moment, giving her friend a swat. "I think you need to go get your shower and then go to sleep before you get even weirder," She stood up, reached out and waited until Kelly reluctantly took her hands before pulling her to her feet. "Just… none of this is your fault. It's Greg Samson's fault."

"I know it is," Kelly said quietly.

Jill smiled at her. "I hope you do," She pulled Kelly into a hug, being careful not to hurt her. "You sure you're okay?"

She half expected Kelly to squirm away, but to her surprise, her friend hugged her back. "Stop worrying. I'm okay," Kelly insisted with a quiet laugh.

"If you say so, Kell," Jill let her go and draped a friendly arm around her shoulder to guide her to her bedroom. Her bruised up ribs had Kelly walking a little stiffly, but all the same, she didn't seem to mind the extra support. Jill stopped as they entered her bedroom and decided that Kelly wouldn't fall over walking the rest of the distance to her bathroom.

"Do you need any help?" Jill called after her.

Kelly laughed. "No, Jill. I'm okay."

"Well, holler if you need help. You remember what the doctor said."

"I remember," Kelly answered tolerantly. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay," Jill slipped out of her friend's bedroom and shut the door gently behind her. She stood uncertainly, staring at the closed door for a few moments longer before finally making her way back to the living room. Kelly was okay, she told herself. Hiding something, most definitely, but okay.

Suddenly, she wished she had brought up the mugging again as Sabrina asked.

With a groan, Jill sank onto Kelly's couch and flopped back against the cushions to rest a little bit. Kelly said she'd be out in a few minutes. That probably meant she'd come back out before bed. Maybe they could talk then.

The sudden rush of water through pipes sounded in Jill's ear. At least Kelly was doing what she said she would. They'd talk later.

Jill closed her eyes and tried to focus her mind on the soothing rush of water through the walls. She wasn't sure if she'd fallen asleep or not, but shuffling behind the front door ripped her out of her trance. She sat up just as the lock turned.

There was a brief moment of anxiety until two familiar voices floated to her ears.

Ah, Sabrina and Bosley.

They stepped in a moment later, still chattering about something that had happened on their way back. Sabrina smiled as she caught sight of her friend, sitting up groggily on the couch.

"Some bodyguard you are. Did we wake you up?"

"What? No," Jill lied, fighting back a yawn.

Bosley was looking around the room. "Where's Kelly?"

Jill rubbed her eyes. She must have fallen asleep longer than she thought. There was no more rush of water and she had no idea how long it had been off. "She went to take a shower. She's probably asleep."

"Well, that's good," Bosley replied, sounding concerned. "How was she doing? She seemed-" He pursed his lips. "- _on edge_ earlier."

Jill rolled her eyes tolerantly. "I wish I could tell you how she's doing. I don't know what's gotten into her."

"What did the doctor say?" Bosley asked. "He came, right?"

"Yeah, he came," Jill answered him quietly. "He said she was lucky nothing was broken. And that she was too stubborn for her own good and that she was stupid not to go in and get checked out."

Sabrina started to laugh. "He said that?"

"No, I did. But, he was _thinking_ it. I could tell. I'm very good at reading faces." Jill sighed. She rubbed her eyes again. "Anyway, he said for her to take it easy for the next days. But, she'll be alright."

Bosley nodded.

Sabrina had made her way across the room while Jill and Bosley were speaking and poked her head into the short hallway that led to the bedrooms. She lingered there for a moment before returning to the living room. "She tell you anything?"

Jill shook her head wearily. "Hardly. I tried…but-" She made a face. "She started getting all _Texas_ on me. If I kept her up any longer, I would have needed a translator. All she said was that she's sorry for snapping. And that - what? " She cut off when she noticed Sabrina's attention was no longer on her.

"She's still up. I hear her in there," Sabrina whispered, backing into the hall. "I'm gonna go check on her, I'll be right back."

Jill nodded. So far she'd had no luck with Kelly. Maybe Sabrina would do a better job. "Just go easy on her. I think maybe whatever happened was more serious than she's letting on. She was acting... kinda off."

Sabrina nodded her acknowledgment and disappeared. Jill heard her knock, greet Kelly and then the door opened and closed politely.

"Geez," She sighed, dragging a hand through her blonde mane. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

"You alright, honey?" Bosley asked sympathetically. "You look tired."

Jill reached up and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze. "Oh, I'm alright. Just worried, you know?"

"I know," Bosley said. He gestured toward the couch and Jill followed his lead and sat down. "Kelly will be okay. She's a tough cookie." He tried to reassure her.

Jill smiled faintly. "Not as tough as she thinks she is," Before Bosley felt obligated to console her any longer she grinned up at him. "So what did you and Bri get up to while we were here?"

In response, Bosley made a face. "We drove around and vented our feelings," He said matter-of-factly. "Actually, Sabrina vented her feelings and I…well, I sat there and listened."

Jill had to laugh. "Well, that's just how they are. At each other's throats one second and best friends the next," She gazed toward the hallway and shook her head. "I don't hear yelling, so I think they're okay."

"They'll be fine," Bosley reassured her. "If the four of us didn't have our differences, we wouldn't be the great team that we are, right?" He said, smiling warmly.

The sweet explanation took Jill by surprise. It was something she needed to hear, she realized because it did make her feel better about things. Bosley always knew what to say. "Oh, Bosley," Jill gushed, leaning in to hug him. "You've got the heart of a poet."

Bosley chuckled. "Don't I know it."

They both laughed and then lapsed into a comfortable silence. The two sat quietly for another few moments until Bosley cleared his throat.

"So in between all the _venting_ of feelings-" He began and Jill sat up, sensing this might be important. "Me and Sabrina were thinking that the best course of action might be for her, you, and yours truly to stake out the area by the library. If Kelly's attack did end up having something to do with this case, it might mean that Greg Samson is getting nervous. Could mean that we're closing in on him."

It made sense. Jill nodded. "Two of us at a time and the odd man out stays with Kelly right here," She echoed, pleased. "I like it."

She had a few more questions to ask, but at that moment Kelly's bedroom door opened and, after a few seconds of whispered voices, gently closed back again. Sabrina appeared in the living room not long after.

"She's going to bed," She announced.

Jill leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's okay," Sabrina answered quickly, too quickly. "A little shaken up, but she'll be alright. Did Bos tell you what we wanted to do tomorrow?"

"I was filling her in," Bosley replied.

Sabrina nodded. "Good. Hey, I think I'll stay here with Kelly while the two of you are doing that," She glanced back toward the hall and lowered her voice. "I don't think we should leave her alone, you know?"

"I know," Jill agreed. "Did she tell you anything?"

Sabrina blew a raspberry. "Of course not." She plastered a grin on her face. "But, hey, I got all day tomorrow, don't I?"

"All day." Jill chuckled. "Good luck. Me and Bos will be tearing up the pavement downtown."

"That we will." Bosley agreed and then gave a big yawn. "Right, then. Since we've got such a big day ahead of us, you young ladies had best get your beauty sleep."

Jill turned to him, confused.

"Go on to bed," Bosley continued. "Both of you. I'll take the first watch in case someone tries something tonight." He noticed the look on Sabrina's face and narrowed his eyes at her. "What? I can't be a gentleman? Trust me, the two of you look like you could use some sleep."

Sabrina smiled and jerked her head in the direction of Kelly's bedroom. "No, it's not that. _She_ doesn't think Greg is coming back. She seemed awfully sure of it."

Jill furrowed her brows. "Well, how would she know?"

"Yeah, how _would_ she know?" Sabrina repeated slyly. "It's just a little weird, you know? She seemed pretty okay with going to sleep just now. Didn't seem paranoid at all the way she's been all week. She didn't even try to take one of the watches tonight."

Bosley made a face. "Sabrina, you saw her right? I mean, she got the stuffing knocked out of her, I think we can give her a pass tonight."

"That's not what I meant." Sabrina sighed. "I mean she seems pretty relaxed right now. You know her, she would try anyway. I mean, wouldn't getting jumped in an alley make you _more_ paranoid?"

Jill thought back to the odd, reflective mood Kelly had been in earlier. She wasn't acting normal, but she definitely wasn't the brooding and anxious Kelly that she'd been since getting that letter from Helen Martin. "She _has_ been acting weird since she got back," She agreed reluctantly.

"What do you think that means?" Bosley asked, looking concerned.

Sabrina only shrugged. "I don't know. But, she definitely knows something that she isn't letting on. It might be something else - I hope it's something else - but for now, I say we just watch her," Her eyes bounced toward Kelly's bedroom and then back to them. "Should be easy enough tonight."

"Should be," Bosley replied after a thoughtful moment and then shook his head. "Let's talk about it in the morning. You girls go on to bed. I'll wake you up when it's your turn."

All of a sudden, despite her worry over Kelly, putting this awful day behind her and getting a few hours of sleep seemed like the greatest thing she could possibly do. Jill yawned and pushed herself to her feet. "Thanks, Bos," She gave him a peck on the cheek and then sleepily shuffled toward the hallway.

"You coming?" She called over her shoulder when she noticed Sabrina still standing by Bosley.

Sabrina waved her away. "Yeah, yeah. Just give me a second."

Jill shrugged and continued on her way. Everyone was so damn secretive today, but she was just too tired to care. Kelly was home and - for the most part - safe. That was all that mattered at the moment. She paused in front of Kelly's bedroom door for a moment, wondering if she really was sleeping.

Hopefully, Jill thought to herself. Right now all she could think about was getting some sleep herself. She'd just have to see about Kelly in the morning.


	20. The Closet

_Another update! I'll be busy for New Years and hopefully won't be sober enough to post if all works out, hah! Hope everyone has a happy and safe New Years!_

 _-glambo_

* * *

 _ **Wednesday, November 17th**_

It was just past nine in the morning when Jill and Bosley finally stepped out of the house.

Despite spending part of the night with a gun in her lap waiting for Greg Samson to burst through the door, Jill felt remarkably refreshed. What sleep she'd gotten must have been deep and restful and just what she needed. Beside her, Bosley was humming to himself as he walked, a lot more pep in his step than yesterday.

Apparently, everyone had gotten good sleep.

Even Kelly, who was still out cold when they left and hopefully would remain that way until late morning. It would have been nice to talk to her before leaving, but it was probably best that she get some rest after her eventful day yesterday.

Besides, talking to her would be Sabrina's job today.

Hers and Bosley's would be to hit up downtown again.

"Any idea what we're looking for?" She asked brightly, as Bosley climbed into her passenger seat.

He only shrugged. "No, but I bet we'll know when we find it."

Jill grinned and started the car. Maybe it was the good night's sleep, but she felt oddly optimistic this morning. "Oh, I bet we will," She purred.

It was a little cooler today than it had been yesterday but just as sunny. Jill rolled down the windows and enjoyed the breeze as they made their way downtown. Even the drive was pleasant. Rush hour was over and the mid-morning traffic was being agreeable.

If they were going to find any leads, Jill thought confidently to herself, today would be the day.

It wasn't until almost noon that Jill's good mood started to dissipate.

"Maybe Kelly was right," She sighed moodily. They'd stopped for a quick break near a park. As refreshed and energetic as she'd felt earlier, after a morning full of walking and disappointment, Jill was worn down and defeated.

Bosley looked thoughtful as he handed over her hot dog and sat down next to her on the bus-stop bench where they'd chosen to eat. "So, you think she was telling the truth last night?"

Jill took a bite of her lunch and shook her head. "Now, I didn't say _that_ ," She answered, forcing Bosley to listen to her ideas with her mouth full. "I said, _maybe_ she was right," Luckily for Bosley, she chose to swallow before continuing. "I think she's holding something back, yeah. But, she said she didn't think the guy who attacked her was connected to Greg Samson. Maybe she was right about that."

Bosley looked doubtful. "Hell of a coincidence though, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Jill replied with a sigh. "A little _too_ much if you ask me. But, I wasn't there, I don't know what happened."

"Well, maybe she's telling the truth then," Bosley suggested. "I imagine it's pretty scary getting held at knife-point and… well, you saw what she looked like. Maybe, there was more to it and _that's_ what she isn't telling us."

Jill took another bite. "Yeah, maybe," She answered, without conviction.

They ate the rest of their lunch in relative silence and by the time Bosley finished throwing away their trash, Jill decided she was done tearing up pavement downtown.

"I don't think there's anything around here for us to find," She announced the second he was in earshot.

Bosley didn't look very surprised by the announcement. "I think you might be right."

"I think I might be," Smiling, Jill got up and took his arm to lead him back toward the car. "What do you say we get back to the house and see how Kelly's doing?"

"I say I can't wait to put my feet up and I don't care whose house I'm in," Bosley answered her.

The comment had Jill giggling. She couldn't have agreed more.

* * *

"We're back," Jill sang as she and Bosley came bustling into Kelly's house.

The empty living room greeted them and a flash of fear shot through her at the sight of it. But, it was only her nerves. Some shuffling to her left caught her eye and Jill relaxed, seeing Kelly's head poke up from the couch.

"Hey," She greeted them in a low, sleepy voice. She'd been napping from the look of her tousled hair and disoriented expression.

Jill breathed out her anxiety and then smiled. They'd woken her opening the door. Kelly was bleary-eyed and confused, but completely fine. She looked comfortable and relaxed, laying there wrapped up in a blanket.

"Oh! Hi, Kelly! We'd have been quieter if we knew you were sleeping there," Bosley apologized. "Sorry to wake you up."

Kelly sleepily knuckled one eye. "Oh, you didn't wake me up."

She was lying, but whether they'd woken her or not, they were both pleased to see her up. Jill followed Bosley to the couch and plopped down next to her friend.

"Liar," Jill teased, sweeping the hair out of Kelly's face. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay."

Bosley perched himself on the armrest above her. "You look a lot better. Is Bri taking good care of you?"

Kelly looked up at both of them and a big goofy grin spread across her face. Sabrina must have made her take something, Jill realized suddenly, she looked _very_ relaxed, sedated almost.

"Yeah. She's a good babysitter," Kelly drawled in her pronounced Texas twang as she laid her head back down. Jill reached over and sympathetically smoothed back her disheveled hair. What the hell was Bosley seeing that she wasn't? Kelly may have been _feeling_ better, but the bruises she could see had darkened overnight and she looked even worse than she had when she walked through the door last night.

No point bringing that up though. Kelly had enough going on as it was. Instead, she chuckled softly. "Well, she doesn't do too great with her fish, so I had my doubts. I guess you're lucky you're not a fish."

She was hoping to make her friend laugh, but Kelly wasn't with it enough to be aware of the joke. Bosley was, but instead of laughing only peered at her, looking somewhat puzzled. "Sabrina has fish?"

Jill shrugged. "Not anymore," She looked around, suddenly aware of her absence. "Where is she, anyway?"

Kelly closed her eyes. "Shower," she murmured.

Of course she was, Jill realized, she could hear the water rushing through the wall. "Oh. You think she-" Jill stopped when she looked down at Kelly and saw that she'd fallen back to sleep.

"Wow," She glanced up at Bosley and caught the look he was giving her. Yes, Sabrina definitely had given her something. Jill sighed and just kept smoothing back her friend's hair. So much for getting her to talk about yesterday.

"Well, that's one way to make your job easier," Bosley remarked, peering down at Kelly' sleeping form.

Jill giggled. "I'll say."

"Gosh, she looks even worse than yesterday," He sighed. "You think she's alright?"

"She's okay, Bos," Jill answered with a teasing grin. "But, I'll let her know how worried you are, you big softy."

"Do that," Bosley sniffed as he made his way to the love-seat and sat down with a satisfied groan. "Well, our hostess may be a little lax in her duties, but at least she has comfortable furniture, I'll give her that."

Jill grinned at him in amusement, watching him make a show of kicking his shoes off and getting comfortable. She left Kelly for a moment to find something on TV and then eased herself back down next to her sleeping friend's head.

She and Bosley had been watching some ridiculous comedy program for about fifteen minutes when Jill became aware of the water turning off. As usual, Sabrina dressed quickly and not much longer after that she stepped out from the hallway, dressed comfortably in jeans and a sweater, her wet hair rolled up in a towel.

"I thought I heard you two out here," She said brightly as she entered the room. "You find anything I should know about?"

Bosley gave a sarcastic laugh, but because he offered no other explanation than that, Jill turned to her and smiled sweetly. "No, not a damn thing," She jerked her head toward Kelly. "Any luck?"

A guilty look crossed Sabrina's features. "Uh-" She stammered, sinking down next to Bosley. "No, not exactly. She wasn't very… talkative today."

Bosley was still somewhat invested in the sitcom on TV. "After you lobotomized her?" He remarked dryly. "No, I'd imagine not."

"It was one pill." Sabrina grumped at him. "I didn't know it would put her to sleep."

"Very humane of you. Did she say the same thing about the fish?" Bosley asked innocently, glancing up at Jill.

Sabrina swatted him across the chest with her towel. "No, I _didn't_. I just gave her something to take the edge off, is all."

"Well, it looks like it worked," Jill replied, still giggling.

"Yeah, what can I say?" Sabrina muttered as she toweled her hair. "I'm just that effective," She perked up, probably eager to change the subject. "Hey, the shower's free if either of you wants to jump in. I didn't use up all the hot water as some people do."

Jill wasn't sure if that crack was meant for her or Kelly. But, it didn't matter because Bosley suddenly sat up. "That's the best offer I've had all day," He replied cheerfully. He stood and stretched. "If you ladies will excuse me," He said, giving them a gallant bow.

Sabrina laughed and flung her wet towel at him. It splatted against his chest and, without missing a beat, he folded it over his arm and disappeared into the hallway.

Still laughing to herself, Sabrina pushed herself to her feet and re-positioned herself on the arm of the couch next to Jill. " _Lobotomized her_ ," She muttered as she ran her fingers through her damp hair. "I didn't mean to. She was sore so I gave her one of those pills the doctor gave her for headaches."

Jill stared at her. "When she was shot you mean?" She said flatly.

"Uh…yes," Sabrina admitted guiltily. "That's…that's what I gave her."

"Oh, gosh, she'll be out all day then," Jill laughed. "Well, don't worry, you didn't lobotomize her," She replied with a grin. "Got to have a brain in the first place."

That made Sabrina burst into laughter and the sound of that had Kelly stirring. She whimpered in her sleep and Jill and Sabrina both turned to her. "Kelly?" Sabrina chanced. "You okay?"

"Hmm?" Came Kelly's sleepy reply.

She still wasn't quite with it. "Nothing. Go back to sleep." Jill giggled, rubbing her back.

But, Kelly's eyes opened instead. "I heard that." She mumbled.

Sabrina laughed. "Yeah? You gonna do anything about it?" She teased.

Kelly sighed sleepily. "Hmm. No," She looked up, saw both of her friends sitting beside her on the couch and carefully propped herself up on one elbow. "Hey," She slurred, looking around as if confused. "Wasn't Bos here too?"

"He's in the shower," Sabrina answered. She patted Kelly's leg. "How are you feeling, champ?"

Kelly blinked her eyes. "Tired."

"Well, there's nothing on TV worth being awake for," Sabrina told her. "Might as well sleep it off, right?"

Kelly looked at her and then closed her eyes and settled back down again. "Right."

The three women lapsed into a peaceful silence. The TV had already captured Sabrina's attention so Jill decided to tune in as well. She figured Kelly had already fallen back into a medicated sleep, so it was a surprise when she heard her voice.

"I think I'll go to Dallas after all."

Jill and Sabrina's eyes danced from each other to Kelly. "What?" They said simultaneously.

"You, know. The letter," Kelly yawned. "I should go. I want to go to Dallas."

Jill blinked her surprise. That had come right out of left field. "Uh…I didn't think you wanted to put yourself through that…what made you change your mind?

"I don't know," Kelly answered her in her sleepy monotone. "I just… I think I should go."

Sabrina shot Jill a worried look. "Uh, Kelly, you think that's a good idea with everything that's going on?"

Kelly made a face. "I don't know if it's a _good_ idea. But, I do want to go."

"Maybe, you should just write the letter instead," Sabrina suggested carefully. She pressed her palm against Kelly's forehead as if a fever might be explaining this sudden change of heart. "She said you could do that, right?"

Kelly wearily pushed Sabrina's hand away. "She did. But, I want to go."

"Kelly, let's think about this for a minute," Sabrina said seriously. "That guy is still out there, he could want to hurt you. That guy that attacked you cou-"

"That guy that attacked me had nothing to do with Greg Samson so forget about him," Kelly interrupted her. She pushed herself up on one side, wincing as she did. "Don't you think if Greg Samson wanted me, he would have tried something by now? It's been three or four days since he disappeared. I think he's long gone by now."

"Three days isn't a long time, Kelly," Jill pointed out. "And you need to take it easy for a while."

"I'm fine," Kelly sighed. "And you don't really think Greg Samson is a guy that waits around, do you? If… if he wanted to hurt me, he would have. If you ask me, Charlie spooked him. He's back in New York under whatever rock he crawled out from."

It was odd hearing her argue in such a calm, placid voice. Jill frowned at her. "You can't possibly know that though. It's not safe."

"You think he'll make a move while I'm in Texas?" Kelly asked and then smiled serenely. "I think whatever he had planned, we threw him off. He's in New York by now. We should have been watching the airport instead of the liquor store."

Sabrina was giving Kelly an odd look, probably wondering if it was the painkillers talking. "He went through an awful lot of trouble to just walk away after someone brings up his taxes. I don't like it, Kelly."

"You don't have to like it," Kelly said immediately, though there was no anger in her voice. "I don't like it either. But, I have to go."

Sabrina shook her head. "It's dangerous, Kell."

"It's fine," Kelly insisted. "He isn't going to make a move. I doubt we'll hear anything more about Greg Samson unless it's him getting arrested for murder."

Jill frowned. Kelly sounded awfully sure of herself about something she had no way of knowing. "What makes you so sure about that?" She asked her friend. "Do you know something that we don't?"

There may have been pain medication slowing her down, but infuriatingly, Kelly didn't miss a beat. "No, it's just…" She smiled. "Call it intuition."

Jill and Sabrina shared a knowing look. "Intuition," Sabrina echoed in disbelief. "And this intuition is gonna keep you safe in Texas, with a bunch of people you haven't seen since you were five, a thousand miles away from home and your friends?"

"I think so."

A few moments passed by as Sabrina stared thoughtfully at her best friend. "You do know something that we don't, don't you?" She accused gently. She slid her hand against Kelly's cheek. "What really happened yesterday, Kelly? You can tell us. It's all over and done with, what does it matter now?"

For just a split second, Jill thought she saw Kelly's resolve crumble. There'd be no better time to get it out of her. She was relaxed, drugged half out of her mind, and Sabrina was being nice. Jill would have bet money that Kelly would have spilled the beans.

But, Kelly only laughed. "Bri, I already told you what happened," She insisted calmly. "I almost got myself killed, but I didn't. And I'm here now - most of me, anyway - so why don't the two of you just let it go, okay?"

Damn. "Kelly, did something happen that you aren't telling us?" Jill asked softly.

Kelly shook her head. "No. I told you what happened."

Sabrina looked as if she wanted to keep pressing the issue, but for some reason, she didn't. "Alright, Kelly. Whatever you say. I still think it's a little too early for you to be making cross-country trips."

"I'm going," Kelly replied firmly. "I need to call Helen."

Sabrina caught Jill's gaze again and, with not a clue what to say, Jill only shrugged.

"Well, at least wait till that stuff wears off. You sound drunk," Sabrina said, disapproval written plainly all over her face. "When do you plan on doing this?"

"I'll talk to Helen and figure it out," Kelly said quietly.

"We'll go with you," Jill offered, but Kelly shook her head.

"No. I need to do this myself," She insisted. "I won't be gone long. A week at the most."

Sabrina rubbed her face. "A... a week, huh? That's not too long. Nothing could happen in a week, right?"

"Right."

It was probably only the sedative that kept this discussion from dissolving into a heated argument between the two of them, Jill realized, and was suddenly glad of it. If Kelly was calm, she could see reason. Sort of. "What if we just fly with you and we'll hang out at the hotel and let you care of the…the _church stuff_ alone."

"I'll be fine," Kelly said again, looking at her friends each in turn. "I can handle it. Just trust me. Please?"

"Trust you," Sabrina echoed doubtfully. "Well, I'll trust you handle the phone call to Charlie too."

Kelly nodded passively. "I'll handle it."

With a final " _here we go_ " look at Jill, Sabrina brushed her hand up and down Kelly's arm. "Alright, kiddo. We'll talk more about it later when you're…feeling better."

"I'm feeling fine, Bri," Kelly muttered.

Jill smiled. "When you're not goofed up on pills then."

"It's _not_ the medicine," Kelly sighed. "I know what I'm saying."

"Okay," Sabrina relented. "How's your head?"

"It's fine, Bri," Kelly muttered again.

Sabrina caught Jill's eye again and shook her head. "Fine. Everything's just _fine_ , right?"

Kelly closed her eyes again. "Right."

Sabrina shook her head. Kelly may have missed the sarcastic tone to her voice, but Jill hadn't. She gave her frustrated friend an uneasy smile. She didn't like Kelly's plan any more than Sabrina did, but arguing with her about it when she was half out of her mind was pointless.

Besides, at the moment Kelly - strange as it was - had a point. They were all safe and there was no sign of Greg Samson. Everything was fine.

For now, anyway.

* * *

It was after nine-thirty when Jill stepped out of Kelly's room, still toweling her wet hair. She should get some curlers into it, but they wouldn't be going anywhere tomorrow anyway. And if she wanted to be perfectly honest with herself, she didn't care at the moment. She was feeling much too tired and lazy to care.

The rest of the day had passed in relative peace once they'd returned from downtown. After springing her plans on them earlier that morning, Kelly went back to sleep on the couch and Jill had been so tired that she'd curled up on the other side and joined her. She slept so hard that she'd slept right through Bosley's call to Charlie to report on that morning's waste of time and, instead of feeling guilty, found herself somewhat glad of it. Charlie was still doing his best to find any kind of lead on either Greg or Eva Rossi, but it wasn't looking promising. There wasn't really anything more for them to do but wait around to see if Greg showed his face.

She could hear Kelly's voice, talking politely and quietly, before she even entered the living room.

Jill stepped out of the hallway, a loud greeting ready for her friends, but swallowed it once she realized that Kelly was on the phone.

"That sounds good," Kelly was saying in the tone she usually reserved for new clients. She turned as she noticed Jill and sent her a faint smile before refocusing her attention back on whoever she was talking to. The extra rest had done her some good it seemed; she was cheerful and upbeat, despite her soreness.

Deciding to leave Kelly to her call, Jill wandered into the kitchen where Sabrina and Bosley were seated at the table playing cards.

"Hello, beautiful," Bosley cracked when he saw her.

Jill giggled and patted him on the shoulder. Her wet hair was hanging loosely against shoulders and she didn't have on a stitch of makeup, but that's why she loved him. She slid into a chair and eagerly propped her elbows on the table. "Ooh, what are we playing?" She said excitedly. "Deal me in!"

"Bosley was giving me a bridge lesson," Sabrina piped up, giving her friend a pointed look.

Jill's face fell. "Oh," She said, disinterestedly. "That sounds…"

"Like an opportunity you just can't miss," Bosley finished for her. "You know, it works best with four people. If I can get you and Kelly over here, the four of us can play together," He smiled broadly and started to deal her some cards. Beside him, Sabrina was fighting laughter.

Sabrina had already made her bed, but there was still time to escape…

Jill suddenly popped to her feet. "Oh, why don't you deal me in on the next round! I just remembered I was gonna tell Kelly something."

"She's talking to Helen Martin," Sabrina pointed out. "Might be awhile. Sure you don't wanna sit?"

Nothing could slow her escape. "Mmhmm," Jill hummed. "I'll be right back."

"Sure you will," Sabrina called after her.

Now free, but with nothing else to do, Jill made her way back into the living room. She hadn't truly _planned_ to eavesdrop on her friend's conversation, but Kelly had a small house and there were only so many places one could sit and pretend to read a magazine in the dark.

"No, not all the way out here," Kelly was saying. The conversation had taken the dark turn Jill expected it to and it showed on Kelly's face. "Alright," She went on quietly. "Right. Wednesday or Thursday?"

Jill flipped a page in the magazine she could barely see. As far she knew, Kelly wasn't drunk and she had slept most of the day so she couldn't be too tired. It must have been because she was talking to her friend from Texas that Kelly's drawl was so evident in her speech, Jill noticed with amusement.

"Thanks. I hope so too," Kelly was saying. She paused and listened for a long while, nodding periodically before smiling. "It was good to talk to you too. I'll see you next Wednesday then. Yes, I'll do that. Goodnight, Helen. Goodbye."

She hung up the phone and sank wearily into the couch. The magazine no longer necessary, Jill abandoned it and crossed the room to sit next to her.

"That was Helen, right?"

Kelly shot her a look. "You tell me. You've been sitting there listening for the past ten minutes."

"I was reading!" Jill lied, feigning hurt. Kelly hadn't sounded mad anyway. "So, how'd it go?"

Kelly looked at her and then away. "As well as it could have, I guess."

Her soft southern drawl hadn't gone away yet, Jill suddenly noticed. That was probably an interesting phenomenon that Sabrina would probably know all about. Maybe she could tell her about it later if there was anything left of her brain after Bosley's bridge lessons.

Jill scooted closer. "Are you alright?"

Kelly shrugged. "I think so. I'm leaving next Wednesday. I'll be back the Tuesdsy after."

"I wish you'd let us go with you."

But, Kelly only shook her head. "No. I need to do this alone."

Jill smiled at her. "You're never _alone_. Not anymore. You know that right?"

Kelly surprised her by giving her hand a squeeze. "Yeah, I know."

"Maybe this will be good for you," Jill replied, after a few moments of comfortable silence. "Give you some closure."

"Maybe," Kelly sighed. "They pushed it back to wait until she had been declared dead." Her green eyes caught Jill's gaze. "They found her, you know. Helen was telling me."

By the tone of her voice, Jill knew she was probably about to ask a stupid question. "Found her? Uh…dead?"

"Very dead," Kelly confirmed. Her expression was blank. "She'd been there for weeks. I guess no one ever goes down there anymore."

Jill furrowed her brows. "Down where? Where'd they find her?"

"In the church," Kelly answered in a quiet monotone. "They built a new chapel so the old one is only used every once in a while. Mostly for overflow. Anyway, she was in one of the back rooms."

Jill whistled. "Wow. And it took this long to find her?"

The look on Kelly's face was unreadable.

"Someone finally went in there and noticed the smell," Kelly explained slowly. She ignored the face Jill was making and looked her dead in the eye. "Someone had left her in a closet."


	21. Moving On

_**Tuesday, November 30th**_

The intuition that Kelly had been so confident in proved to be right.

In the two weeks that followed, there wasn't so much as a sign of Greg Samson anywhere. Kelly's house remained safe and, oddly enough, they'd received a call from Bill Duncan shortly after the day Kelly had gone missing.

Apparently, a serial mugger had been apprehended downtown. Bill hadn't known the exact details of his arrest, but it appeared that one of his most recent victims hadn't parted with their belongings without a fight. According to Bill, the guys face looked like meatloaf.

Jill remembered the strange feeling in her gut as Sabrina relayed that information to Kelly, who'd only shrugged. They'd gotten off with no more than an "I told ya so" look from her and, even though Jill wanted to press her, the subject matter had been dropped. Bill requested that she go into the station to make a positive identification on the guy, but Kelly had declined. They had enough evidence on him anyway, was her reasoning.

"And you're sure you want to do this?" Sabrina asked, for what was probably the hundredth time.

Kelly just continued folding up clothes. "I'm sure," She answered sweetly.

Sabrina shot Jill a look and then shook her head in frustration.

Jill could hardly blame her. The past week had been so uneventful that even Charlie was forced to assume that Greg Samson was no longer an immediate threat. He had informed the respective police departments about his probable connection to the murders of Kelly's foster parents, but as to whether or not they believed him remained to be seen.

Greg was a wanted man now and it appeared he had bigger problems going on in his life to be bothering Kelly anymore.

Still, Charlie had not been pleased with Kelly's plan to fly out to Dallas.

It had felt like a case of déjà vu with Charlie first attempting to talk her out of it, then offering to send Sabrina and her along on the trip so that Kelly wouldn't be alone, but one by one, Kelly shot his offers down. He wouldn't demand that she not go, he wasn't that way and even if he was, he had to know that Kelly wouldn't listen.

And so with a direct order to check in every now and then and not to venture out alone, Kelly was given his reluctant blessing to go.

Not that she needed it, Jill knew without a doubt. Kelly was Kelly and she'd always be Kelly. Stubborn as a mule.

"There's still time for us to go with you," Sabrina was still pleading. The past week or so they had felt safe enough to return to their respective homes, but still, because one couldn't be too careful, they spent most of their days together. She and Sabrina would be driving Kelly to the airport early tomorrow morning and so to save time - and sleep - they'd decided to spend the night at her place. In usual Kelly fashion, she was just now packing. "You don't leave till tomorrow morning, you know. We can go with you. We'll just lay low at the hotel until you need us."

"All I need is a ride to the airport," Kelly explained, being uncharacteristically patient.

"You sure you're gonna be alright talking about all of that?" Jill added.

Kelly smirked. "Why not? I even look the part now, don't I?"

"Ugh, Kelly. That's not what I meant," Jill chided her. It had been about two weeks since Kelly's attack. Her bruises were fading and people had mostly stopped gawking at her in public, but, she did have a concussion and the after-effects of that were still present in the form of headaches and random bouts of dizziness. Not that Kelly would admit any weakness though, but the extra stress wouldn't be easy on her and neither Jill nor Sabrina felt comfortable knowing that she would be by herself.

"I know what you meant," Kelly replied, still smiling. "I'm feeling a lot better. I won't be doing anything more exciting than walking between places to sit. Plus, Helen will be driving me everywhere I need to go. Besides, this could be good for me, right? Didn't you say that?"

Jill ignored Sabrina's pointed look. "Yeah, but-"

"This might be the only way I get her out of my head," Kelly went on, trying to keep her tone light. She looked up and smiled at her friends. "I'll be okay, I promise. Don't worry so much."

"Alright," Sabrina sighed. "If you say so. Just-" She never was good at being sentimental. Neither was Kelly and watching them both try could be somewhat amusing at times. Right now, not so much. "-ugh, we don't want anything to happen to you. Just be careful, okay? Don't do anything stupid."

Kelly chuckled. "There's not much I can get up to in a church, Bri. But, I'll be good. I promise."

"You better," Sabrina grumbled. She looked at her watch. It was after eleven. "Well, if we've gotta be up by six, we'd better turn in. You almost done packing?"

"Almost," Kelly answered. "Go on to bed. I'll get us some breakfast in the morning. Sound good?"

Sabrina let out a sigh of defeat. "Yeah. Sounds good. See you in the morning, Kell. Come on, Jill."

The girls bid each other goodnight and then Jill was following Sabrina into the guest room where they'd be staying tonight. Sabrina flopped herself on the bed and muttered something unintelligible under her breath.

She was worried, Jill knew, and she was having an increasingly hard time dealing with it the closer it came to Kelly's departure. "She'll be okay," Jill tried to reassure her. "What could go wrong in a church?"

Sabrina made a rude noise. "There are about twenty people getting together in Dallas tomorrow that could probably answer that question for you."

Touche. Jill ignored the comment. "Well, Kelly can take care of herself. We just have to trust her."

"Trust her, yeah," Sabrina muttered. "I just have a bad feeling about it, that's all." She sat up and fixed Jill with a look that the blonde detective didn't like one bit. "Hey, what if we went and just... didn't _tell_ her?" She said excitedly. "We can catch a flight out there tomorrow afternoon and… and she won't ever have to-"

"Oh my God," Jill groaned. "No, Sabrina. I don't like it any more than you do, but we can't go sneaking around behind her back. She wants us to back off… I think we should back off."

Sabrina deflated. "I guess so. But, I don't like it."

"I don't like it either," Jill agreed. "But, we can't change her mind so we'll just..." She let her hands flop to her sides. "I don't know, bitch about it until she gets back? Sound good?"

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "It's gonna be a rough week, isn't it?"

Jill gave a wry laugh and plopped down on the bed beside her. "I think so. Call it intuition."

A pillow splatted against her arm and Jill laughed.

She was teasing her, but Sabrina was right.

It was going to be a rough week for all of them.

* * *

 ** _Monday, December 6th_**

There wasn't any real reason to be surprised when Bosley called them down to the office for a new case, but Jill was surprised anyway.

Not that she had expected to stay laying low forever, but it had only been a little over a week since they'd last heard from Greg Samson and Kelly was still in Texas.

Still, when duty called, duty called.

Jill parked her Cobra on the curb behind Sabrina's Pinto - she was running late, but only a few minutes - and hurriedly made her way inside.

"Good morning!" She announced herself cheerfully.

"About time," Sabrina greeted her, tapping her watch. She was already seated on the couch, her long legs crossed in front of her and a cup of coffee in hand.

Jill patted her shoulder as she swooped past her. "Oh, be quiet. I'm only five minutes late."

" _Twenty_ -five minutes late," Bosley corrected her, though he was smiling tolerantly. He leaned toward the speaker on his desk. "Now, we're all here, Charlie."

Jill sank into her seat a little guiltily. Oops.

"I hear that," Charlie chuckled. "Good morning, Jill."

"Good morning, Charlie," Jill cooed back. "Sorry, I'm late. Traffic was a nightmare."

She made a point of ignoring the face Sabrina was making at her.

"Well, now that we're all here," Charlie began. "Let's get started. This case might be a bit more on the boring side compared to what you're used to. But, after everything that's happened, I have a feeling the three of you will be able to appreciate that."

"Uh-huh, we'll be the judge of that," Sabrina joked. "What do you got for us, Charlie?"

Charlie chuckled pleasantly. "Slide, Bosley, if you please."

Obligingly, Bosley dimmed the lights and flicked on the projector. The face of a well-dressed man in a business suit smiled back at them. He was good looking, Jill decided, though a few years older than anyone she'd ever found interesting. At this point in a case, she should be intrigued, excited about their new assignment…

But…

She looked around at Sabrina and Bosley, wondering if either of them felt as weird as she did about taking on a new case with their last one left so unresolved. If they did, however, they weren't showing it.

"Angels, this is Norman Weavers, assistant manager of the Sunrise Hotel downtown and this is his wife Patricia."

Norman's picture was replaced by his wife's, a pretty, strawberry-blonde with a nice smile but too much eyeshadow.

"Poor old Norman suspects that his wife might be being... _unfaithful_ to him," Charlie explained. "And he thinks it's with one of his employees."

"Oh, _this_ kind of case," Sabrina commented, taking a sip of her coffee. "Lovely."

"Now, this kind of thing usually would be kept behind closed doors, but his wife has been in charge of his budgets for the past ten years and he has reason to believe that she's using company money to… well, be unfaithful to him. He'd like us to find out if this is true and if so, what employee she's choosing to dabble in adultery with."

Jill had to force herself to stay interested. "Can he narrow it down some? That's a big hotel. Kind of a wide net to cast."

"Ah, Jill, I'm glad you asked," Charlie continued. "Bosley?"

Bosley dutifully clicked to the next slide revealing a handsome man in a suit and tie. "Meet Joe DeLucca. He's in-"

"Wait, hang on a minute, Charlie," Sabrina suddenly cut him off. Jill turned to her in surprise and saw that her calm, business façade was just that. So, it appeared she hadn't been the only one feeling unsure about this case. It was validating, to say the least "Are we really starting a new case after… well, after everything that went on?"

Charlie was quiet for a moment before heaving a gentle sigh. "Sabrina, I've told you. It appears that Gregory Samson, or Marcus Solomon, whoever he may be, has completely disappeared from my radar. There hasn't been news of his whereabouts since he left us."

The lights came on as Bosley accepted the fact that this dirty laundry would have to be aired out before they could move on.

"But, it's only been a week," Sabrina continued, looking uncharacteristically troubled. "This guy could be out there planning something and we would never know."

"Unfortunately, you're absolutely correct, Sabrina," Charlie agreed. "But, we can't let one man single-handedly shut down the agency. Now, the police have all been notified about Gregory Samson. He's got to know that he's a wanted man. It's up to him to show his face anywhere."

Jill decided to be an ally to her friend. "We know, Charlie. It's just kind of weird to be moving on when we never solved Gregory Samson's case."

" _Kelly's_ case," Bosley grumped and Jill quickly realized that he had his misgivings about moving forward as well. "It just feels like unfinished business, Charlie."

Charlie was quiet for a moment. "I understand," He replied sympathetically. "I've still got an ear out for him. If I hear anything from him, no matter where he may be, I will let you know. But until then it would be an extreme disservice to the world to keep your brilliant detective minds in hiding forever, don't you agree?"

Jill looked glumly between Sabrina and Bosley. "I guess, Charlie. It's just not our usual way of doing things."

"I don't like being left in the dark any more than you do, Jill," Charlie replied somberly. "But, until we hear news about him, we'll have to move on," He cleared his throat and tried to lighten the mood. "I'm sure when Kelly gets back, she'll be happy to start getting things back to normal, wouldn't you say?"

Jill sighed. "I'm sure she would, Charlie."

"I talked to her yesterday afternoon and so far she tells me things are going smoothly and that she should be home tomorrow."

"That's right, Charlie," Sabrina said, nodding her head absently. "We talked to her this morning and everything is set for us to pick her up tomorrow."

"She also seemed to have no objections to taking on this case. In fact, it was because of her eagerness that I decided to assign it to you in the first place," Charlie said pleasantly. "It's high time we get back into the swing of things."

Jill shot Sabrina a look. Kelly hadn't mentioned that over the phone this morning. But, she had a lot on her mind after all. Maybe they could bring it up when she called tonight.

"Well, if that's what Kelly wants to do," Sabrina sighed. She turned to Jill, who gave the only response she could think of and shrugged. "Okay, let's see this Joe DeWhat'sHisName again."

Charlie chuckled. "That's the spirit."

Looking somewhat more at ease, Bosley dimmed the lights once more.

* * *

That afternoon Jill found herself more anxious than she'd been since Kelly left. It might have had something to do about wanting to have her home again, but whatever it was, it made time drag on as slowly as could be. To counter it, she spent the day with Sabrina, though her friend was just as much on edge as she was.

She offered to make dinner for them at her house and, with nothing to do but try to kill time, Sabrina had readily agreed.

Before letting Kelly out of the car at the airport, the girls had made her promise to call at eight o' clock every evening to check in and let them know how she was doing. So far she had kept her word and her phone calls were right on time.

Tonight however, she was late and Jill and Sabrina both were ready to go up the wall with worry.

"Maybe… maybe she's just out with her friends for dinner or something," Sabrina said anxiously, as she paced up and down Jill's living room. They'd just finished dinner. It was after six-thirty now which meant it was past eight-thirty in Dallas, Texas. "It _is_ her last night there."

Jill couldn't help the sick feeling in her gut. They had already tried Kelly's hotel to no avail. "She's always called on time before," She caught Sabrina's eye. "What if she doesn't call? What if something happened?"

Sabrina didn't answer. Instead, she continued her pacing, muttering to herself as she went. For an additional forty-five minutes, both girls fretted in Jill's living room, periodically calling Kelly's hotel room as the night wore on.

In a fit of nerves, Jill was just about to call the Dallas Police, when the phone suddenly rang.

It was the most beautiful sound.

They both sprang for it, but Jill had been closer and yanked it to her ear a split second before Sabrina could grab it.

"Hello?" She cried breathlessly. If it wasn't Kelly on the other line, she simply didn't know if she would be able to handle it.

Luckily, she didn't have to.

"Hey, Jill," Came her best friend's voice. A little winded, but it was her.

"Kelly!" Jill gushed, surprising herself by how ragged her voice sounded. Beside her, Sabrina sank into the couch in relief. "We tried to reach you and…you're late! Why didn't you call when you were supposed to?!"

"I'm sorry, Jill," Kelly said wearily. She sounded tired. "I lost track of time. I'm sorry you were worried."

"Are you okay?" Sabrina asked, concerned. She had scooted closer so that she could take part in the conversation. "You sound funny."

"You do." Jill agreed and she knew neither of them were talking about her Texas drawl.

They heard Kelly's soft laughter. "I'm okay. I spooked myself when I saw what time it was and I had to run to get to a phone."

That seemed to satisfy Sabrina. "So, what all did you do today?"

"You know, just tied up some loose ends around here. Helped out Helen. Then we all had dinner together before everyone leaves in the morning."

Sabrina nodded. "Sounds like a good time, considering. So, you ready to be back home?"

"More than ready," Kelly chuckled. "I forgot it actually gets cold over here."

"Well, the weather is beautiful here as usual," Jill purred. "You'll see tomorrow."

"I can't wait," Kelly replied. Her voice was still a bit off.

Jill furrowed her brow. "You sure you're alright?"

"I'm sure," Kelly said quickly. "Just a headache."

"Are you in your room?"

"Yes, I am. All tucked in for the night," Kelly teased. "Doors are locked and everything."

Jill rolled her eyes. "Well, take something and lie down."

"Yes, mother," Kelly said playfully.

"Hey, why didn't you mention Charlie had a case for us this morning," Sabrina asked, suddenly reminding Jill of what their boss had said. "He said he told you about it."

Kelly laughed. "He did. And he told me not to tell you yet, so I didn't. Anyway… surprise!"

Sabrina scoffed. "Yeah, what a surprise. That's Charlie for you."

"From what I heard of it, it didn't sound like anything to get excited about anyway."

"Well-" Sabrina chuckled. "-we've had just about as much excitement as I can take lately. I'll learn to live with it."

They heard Kelly's soft laughter, then there was a slight lull in the conversation and Jill realized that her friend was probably exhausted.

"Okay, Kell, we'll let you go so you can get some sleep," Jill said after a moment. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm alright, Jill," Kelly replied tolerantly. "Just a little tired and homesick."

"Well, we miss you," Jill said quickly. "And we can't wait to see you tomorrow."

"I miss you guys too," Came Kelly's response.

"Hey, we'll take you for dinner when we pick you up tomorrow," Sabrina chimed in. "Anywhere you want."

They heard Kelly give a little laugh. "Sounds good, Bri. I'll bring my appetite," She was quiet for a moment. "Listen, I better go before I fall asleep on the line."

Jill felt a little reluctant to let her go and, not for the first time that week, realized how much she missed her friend. "Okay. Get some rest."

"And call us when you get to the airport, okay?" Sabrina added.

"I will."

"Okay, good," Jill said quietly and didn't care how sentimental she was about to sound. "We love you. See you tomorrow."

There were a few awkward beats. Kelly rarely voiced her affections and it threw her off when someone else did. But, she'd been without them for nearly a whole week and that was just about the longest they'd been apart since meeting at the police academy four years ago. She could damn well say it too. "I... I.. uh - love you guys too." Kelly tripped and stumbled over the words, but Jill knew they were genuine. "G-goodnight."

"Goodnight," Jill and Sabrina chorused quietly.

They listened until Kelly gently hung up the phone.

* * *

Kelly hung up the phone and wearily rubbed her face with both hands. Why did Jill have to go and do that? She took a deep breath and managed to blink away the emotion stinging in her eyes.

As good as it had felt to talk to her friends, she was glad they had kept the conversation short. She hadn't been able to shake off an impending headache that had been threatening her all evening and now her skull was pounding.

But, that was okay, worth it even.

Her business was done now and all that was left was to get her life back to normal.

She gave a quiet thanks to the café employee who'd let her use the phone and then made her way through the sparse crowd and to the door. Her stomach felt hollow and empty, a cup of coffee or something to eat would have been nice, but all Kelly wanted to do was sleep.

The wind pushed back against the door as she shoved it open and stepped onto the wet sidewalk. Now that she'd been inside for a few minutes, it felt even colder outside. Kelly pulled her coat tightly around herself, ducked her head and joined the steady stream of people walking down the sidewalk. It was easy to fit in around here, easy to lose herself and that made Kelly feel a little more at ease. Her bag started to slip off of her shoulder again. It felt as if it were getting heavier and heavier the longer she carried it. She readjusted it without slowing down.

The dull pain behind her eyes was starting to really bother her, but she would have to put up with it just a little while longer. It was just a few blocks to her motel and then finally, she could get a hot shower, go to bed and put this day behind her forever.


	22. Where She Went

_**Tuesday, November 16th**_

 _ **Two Weeks Earlier**_

"You about ready to call it a morning?"

The question distracted Kelly from her thoughts and she turned to Sabrina, a bit surprised by the suggestion and a bit more annoyed. There was still plenty of downtown they hadn't covered yet. "We're not done," She balked.

"I know we're not, but it's almost one," Sabrina explained patiently, flipping up her watch so that Kelly could see it.

If she hadn't, she might not have believed her.

 _How could the morning have gone by so quickly?_ Kelly gently pushed her friend's arm away. It was difficult hiding her frustration, but she had no choice. If it was up to her, she wouldn't stop until Gregory Samson was found, but again, it wasn't up to her. "Sorry, I didn't know it was so late," She said quietly, hoping to amend for the irritated tone she knew had been in her voice.

She felt a hand on her back. "Yeah, well you've got a lot on your mind," Sabrina replied, with a sympathetic smile that made Kelly feel even more guilty for snapping. "Come on, I know you've got to be just as hungry as I am," She brightened. "And today's Tuesday, so they have clam chowder."

Kelly wrinkled her nose. "I don't like clam chowder."

"I didn't say you did," Sabrina replied as if her feelings had been hurt. " _I_ like clam chowder. It doesn't all have to be about _you_ , you know."

Despite her dark mood, Kelly surprised herself by laughing. That was what Sabrina was aiming for, she knew, and as poor a companion as she knew she'd been making lately, she did appreciate the effort. Without her friends to keep her sane throughout this whole mess, she had no idea how she would be able to function. She let Sabrina take her arm to guide her down the street and toward the car.

"You think we should give them a call first?" Sabrina asked conversationally.

"Just so they know we aren't standing them up," Kelly agreed quietly.

"Wouldn't want them thinking that. All about manners," Sabrina muttered to herself and Kelly had to smile. Sabrina had been mumbling to herself all day. She did that and often didn't even notice. Especially when she was distracted and this was a _very_ distracting case. Gregory Samson was getting under everyone's skin and Kelly couldn't remember a time where she wanted so badly to catch someone as she did him.

"I didn't see a pay-phone, did you?"

Sabrina was talking to her this time, not herself, Kelly realized. "Uh, not for a few blocks," She managed, shrugging her shoulders. "We can try going in a store to see if they'll let us use a phone."

"Uh-huh. Good idea," Sabrina said to herself. She picked up the pace, seemingly headed toward some kind of tourist trap store they had visited half an hour earlier. Kelly remembered seeing a customer using a phone while they'd been there so unless he was someone special, there was no reason why they couldn't make use of it too. A few steps closer and she was sure that where Sabrina was heading.

The storefront was visible now, even through a constant stream of people. A short set of concrete steps led to its entrance and in front of that, three men were milling about, blocking their way. Kelly thought for a moment that they might turn and head inside, but they looked to be having some kind of serious discussion. They weren't holding any bags, so they probably weren't discussing a recent purchase either. Maybe waiting on a cab.

Kelly gritted her teeth and wondered if she'd have to interrupt the heated exchange to politely excuse themselves or if Sabrina would take it upon herself. Luckily, before either of them had to, one of the men noticed them approaching and took a few steps away. The other men drifted toward him, clearing their path. _Good_ , Kelly thought to herself. Downtown was starting to grate on her already frayed nerves. The fewer people in their way, the fewer people she'd have to deal with.

She followed Sabrina down the sidewalk and up the concrete steps.

"Think these uptight assholes will charge us a dime?" Sabrina asked, without turning around.

Kelly smiled. "I've got a few just in case."

"Keep 'em handy," Sabrina chuckled. She pushed open the door and slipped inside.

The door sprang back on its hinges, a bit faster than Kelly had expected and she was forced to bring up her forearm to avoid being hit in the face. She might have complained to Sabrina, but it would have fallen on deaf ears. Her friend hadn't even noticed, she was already halfway to the front desk. Kelly shook her head, smiling faintly to herself. Once Sabrina was on a mission, nothing could distract her. She pulled open the door to follow her inside and then suddenly took a step back.

 _That voice._

She turned to where she'd heard it and her stomach gave a lurch.

There he was.

It was so sudden, so unexpected, Kelly couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. There was Greg Samson. Just standing there, talking to two men, completely obvious to her. His back was to her, but she'd recognize that _arrogant_ voice anywhere.

Greg Samson, himself. Greg Samson, who she'd been waiting for all week.

Kelly stumbled awkwardly against the door, praying Greg couldn't see her. "Bri!" She whispered loudly, into the store.

In front of her, Sabrina was already greeting the young man at the cash register. Kelly turned back toward Greg and her heart nearly stopped when she saw a sleek black car pull up to the curb in front of him.

"Sabrina!" She called again, not that much louder. She couldn't risk him hearing her and recognizing her voice the same way she'd recognized his. Again, Sabrina didn't hear her. Cursing to herself, Kelly pulled the door open to hurry inside and grab her friend.

The sound of closing car door stopped her. She turned and her stomach gave another lurch.

The black car was driving away with Greg inside.

He was getting away.

Oh, Sabrina was going to kill her for this, Kelly thought to herself as she hopped down the two steps that lead to the store's entrance and hit the pavement running. Then Jill would kill her, then Bosley would kill her…

Just about the only person who _wouldn't_ kill her was Greg Samson himself because she was done being his target.

Now it was her turn to do the hunting.

Kelly sprinted down the street, the black car in her sights, weaving and ducking around passersby.

She just couldn't let him out of her sights.

The black car coasted to a stop at the light and Kelly knew if she let him go, she'd never get another chance at him again, never get closure for everything she'd been through this week. And as stupid as she knew it was to run off without backup and without alerting Sabrina, all she could think of was not letting Greg slip between her fingers.

Keeping her head low, she darted in between the stopped cars, ducked around to one a couple car-lengths from Greg's and jerked open the door.

"What the _fuck!_ " The startled driver greeted her. He was a middle-aged man with thick dark hair and brows to match. Those thick brows jumped halfway up his forehead, she'd nearly scared him into a heart attack.

"Hi, I'm Kelly," Kelly greeted him, crawling into the back seat and shutting the door behind her. "You see that black Pontiac two cars in front of you?"

" _What_?!" The man reached back, slinging his arm back and forth in a vain attempt to grab hold of her. "Get the _hell_ out of my car, you crazy bitch!"

"I'm _not_ crazy," Kelly said quickly, dodging him over and over again. "I'm..." It sounded ridiculous in her head and was going to sound even worse coming out as words. She wondered if she could get away with it. "I'm commandeering this vehicle. I need you to follow that Pontiac," Her heart was racing. Up ahead, the light turned green.

The man's arm froze. "Are you a cop!?" He asked, clearly baffled.

Kelly stared at him. For once, she told the truth. It might have been easier to lie this time. "No, I'm not a cop, but-"

"Then get the fuck out of my car before I call the-"

"I'll give you twenty bucks!" Kelly said firmly, diving into her pocket and pulling out a loose twenty. The black car was rolling forward now.

The man stopped swinging at her and looked thoughtful. "Yeah? Twenty bucks to follow that car?"

The car behind the black Pontiac was moving now. There wasn't much time. "Yes. Forty if he doesn't catch on," Kelly said again, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. "Offer expires in five seconds."

"Wait a minute-"

"Five. Four. Three-"

"So, all I have to do is-"

"Will you just fucking drive!?" Kelly cried, losing her cool. Not her best moment, but the man slammed on the accelerator sending Kelly tumbling face first into the passenger seat. "Thank you," She sighed gratefully, once she'd untangled herself. "What's your name, friend?"

"Harris," The driver said. He was taking this tailing business very seriously, deciding to ensure his forty dollars by tailgating the car in front of him. Kelly didn't care though. As long as the Pontiac was in her sights. "My friends call me Harry."

"Well, I owe you one, Harry," Kelly started.

"I said my _friends_ call me Harry," Harris snapped. "You're just some crazy woman that jumped in my car."

Kelly glared at him, but in light of the fact that his comment was one hundred percent accurate, decided not to comment further. "Fine. Thank you, Harris. I owe you one."

"You owe me forty."

 _This guy_ …

"Only if he doesn't see us," Kelly reminded him. She craned her neck to see around a turn and then began frantically slapping at Harris's headrest. "He's turning left, get over, get over."

She went spilling to the side when Harris immediately jerked the car to the left.

"So, who is this guy?" Harris asked excitedly, once Kelly had righted herself. He caught her eye in the rear-view mirror. "Wait, he's not some kind of murderer is he?"

Kelly let out a contemptuous little laugh. "Yes, Harris, that's exactly what he is. He's killed ten people and he wants to make me number eleven." She stopped and narrowed her eyes dramatically. "And that's exactly what he'll do if I don't get to him first."

Harris's face went blank. He stared at her for a moment through the rear-view mirror and then suddenly burst into laughter. "Oh man, kid, you're crazy."

Kelly added her laughter to his. "I'm kidding, Harris. He sideswiped my car a few minutes ago and I can't afford for him to weasel on out me, get what I'm saying?"

"I get it," Harris said, nodding.

They followed the black Pontiac away from downtown and toward a nicer more tourist-friendly area. There was nothing but restaurants and hotels around here, Kelly noted. Was that where Greg was going?

"If he goes out of town, I'll expect more," Harris piped up, distracting Kelly from her thoughts.

"If he goes out of town, you can name your price," Kelly agreed. But, he wasn't, she knew. Her instincts proved correct when only a few minutes later, the black car slowed and turned into the circle drive of one of the newer hotels in town. Harris dutifully followed and, crouched in his backseat, Kelly saw as Greg and the two men stepped out of the car. They were still talking, low and suspiciously, as they walked together through the main entrance.

Kelly dug into her wallet, peeled out another two tens and handed the full forty to the man. "Thanks for the memories, Harris. Here's where we part ways."

Harris looked pleased. "Gee thanks," He called after her, as Kelly climbed out of the car. "You know you can call me Harry now-"

The car door slammed shut. Kelly didn't hear the rest of what he was saying and she didn't care. She wasn't interested in making a new friend at the moment. What she was interested in was seeing where Greg Samson was staying.

She slipped through the front doors and found herself in a very elegant and crowded hotel lobby. Again, she found herself impressed by Greg's taste. The lobby was exquisite with polished marble floors and plush green carpets. There were people ambling about, dressed for important business meetings or presentations or whatever it was that people who wore suits to work did in hotels.

She didn't care about them either.

Kelly's eyes scanned the lobby and then there he was again, boarding the elevator with his two friends. She waited until the door slid closed and then hurried forward. Greg was gone, but that suited Kelly just fine because this new elevator displayed its destination with a little arrow above the door. The second floor, then.

She pushed past a crowd of people to the staircase and took the steps two at a time, ignoring the loud echoes her footfalls were leaving behind. It didn't matter. The stairway was empty.

Slightly out of breath, Kelly arrived at the second floor and cautiously pushed it open, finding herself in another long hallway, carpeted in soft greens and grays. The half-formed plan in her head was to call Sabrina from the pay-phone in the middle of the hallway and then wait for Greg to poke his head out or something so she would know what room was his.

What she _hadn't_ expected was to beat the elevator to the second floor. The gentle ding of the elevator had Kelly doubling back, nearly tripping over her own two feet to get away from it. She stumbled in front of the closest room door and, giving the elevator door her back, quickly pretended to be looking through her purse for a key.

"It'll only be a minute," she heard a man's voice say.

"It better be a fast minute," Another man's voice. Greg Samson. "I have somewhere to be."

Kelly turned slightly and saw Greg and the two men key open a door - the third room past the elevator, she noted - and disappear inside. Without meaning to, she had been holding her breath. Now that the men were gone, Kelly let it out in a long, slow exhale.

Okay, this was more than enough crazy for the day. She needed to call Sabrina.

Now that she was able to think about anything other than keeping Greg in her sights, Kelly felt a wave of guilt roll over her. It had been close to half an hour since she'd left her and Sabrina was probably frantic by now.

Hopefully, her discovery would be enough to warrant some forgiveness. Boy, was Bri going to flip when she heard this.

Humming with nervous energy, Kelly fished a dime out of her purse and plunked it into the slot before hurriedly tapping out the number to her car phone. It rang six times before she yanked down the cradle in frustration. The dime clattered back into the return slot and Kelly retrieved it and popped it right back in. This time she dialed the number for Jill's car.

Four rings later, Kelly's dime came clattering back to her again.

"Dammit," She breathed to herself. Too much time had probably gone by for them to still be at Marco's, Kelly knew, especially if Sabrina had sounded the alarm about her disappearing act. She called anyway and wasn't surprised when a waitress informed her that no, there wasn't a Jill or a John or a Sabrina inside. Almost out of ideas, she tapped out another number and was about to just leave a message on her machine at home when the sound of an opening door startled her. She was just able to give them her back again as Greg and his two cronies came bustling out of their room.

"One second, Mr. Samson."

Footsteps approached and Kelly's heart dropped into her stomach.

 _Shit, shit, shit_.

Of all the things he could be doing, Greg's thug had chosen this god-forsaken moment to make a phone call.

She heard him fiddling with the phone and, not knowing what else to do, kept bobbing her head stupidly as if having a conversation.

A finger tapped her shoulder roughly and Kelly almost jumped out of her skin. She turned slightly to see Greg's friend, a hulking fellow with a receding hairline and a five o' clock shadow grinning at her almost shyly.

"Sorry, miss," He said, smiling politely. Kelly's eyes darted over his shoulder, but Greg and the other man were talking amongst themselves. "Do you have a dime I can borrow?"

Wordlessly, Kelly dug another dime from her purse and handed it to him. He thanked her and proceeded to make his call. It was hard to listen in on him and pretend to be talking to someone else at the same time, but she did her best.

"Cam," The man was saying. "It's Gio. We're on our way. Is everything ready?" He paused for a moment. "No, he said he's got somewhere to be," Another pause and Gio snorted. "I know. Me and Frank will be there in about an hour. Just be ready."

He slammed the phone down and then was gone.

Kelly nearly collapsed with relief. That was close, much too close.

She kept her back to him as Gio returned to his group. They were all talking now, but too low for Kelly to make out what they were saying. She continued with her phony conversation until she heard the elevator doors open and then shut, separating her from Greg Samson yet again. The hallway settled back into silence and stayed that way- save for her pounding heart- for several seconds before Kelly felt safe enough to turn around.

They were gone and she was alone once more.

But for how long? Deciding to leave a message for her friends just as soon as she was done snooping around Greg's room, Kelly boldly walked up to the door.

Room 256, she noted to herself.

There was no particular reason for her to think anyone was inside, but she knocked anyway. If someone _was_ inside, she could easily give them the "wrong room" routine, she told herself. Only Greg would recognize her and he was gone.

A tense few seconds ticked by and then Kelly relaxed a bit.

Just as she thought, there was no answer.

She dug through her purse and felt around for the smooth cylindrical tube that contained two long, slender pieces of metal she never left home without. The trusty lock-pick she'd been using since she was old enough to learn how to break and enter. This was a newer hotel, but the locking mechanism on the door didn't look any different from the ones she was accustomed to. With one final glance around the hallway to ensure she was alone, Kelly went to work on the lock.

She was pleased to see it was just like any other door, easier perhaps. It may just have been a stroke of good luck, but the lock popped open in less than a minute and Kelly was granted access inside.

A nagging voice told her to go call Sabrina, but Kelly was too excited to pay it any mind. There was no telling when Greg and his friends would be back. This might be her only chance.

Kelly took one last look over her shoulder and quietly slipped inside the room.

A large room with a queen-sized bed, she noted to herself as she took in the surroundings, nice but way under Greg's means. If this was even his room.

Whoever _was_ staying here looked like they had been here awhile. There were three suitcases lined up in one corner of the room and the wardrobe the hotel provided was open and full of men's dress shirts all bagged neatly in dry cleaner's plastic. Elegant ties and cufflinks were lined up on the dresser, almost as if Greg- and she was sure it was Greg's room now- had laid them out to pick what he was going to wear that day. A dark suit jacket was draped over a chair. Being employed by Charlie had put Kelly around expensive suits before but this one put them all to shame.

She checked the jacket's pockets and then, finding nothing, walked to the middle of the room, wondering where to start for a moment before heading for the three suitcases. All full of men's dress socks, boxers, and undershirts. Nothing notable, besides being the most expensive underwear Kelly had ever seen. Disappointed, she zipped the last one shut, and caught sight of a leather satchel lying in the corner by the nightstand.

She snatched it up and heaved it onto the bed. It wasn't very heavy, she noted, mildly disappointed. Still, she unbuckled the clasp and flipped it open, revealing what looked to be some kind of business-like looking paperwork and a black three-ring binder. The fragrant leather squeaked pleasantly as she tugged the binder out and laid it on the bed. Kelly hadn't been exactly sure what it was that she was looking for in Greg's room, but whatever she expected was a far cry from what she found.

She opened the binder and felt her blood turn to ice.

There in front of her, encased in thin plastic film was photo after photo after photo.

All of _her_.

Every single one of them.

Alarmed, she slapped through the plastic sheets in the binder one by one, growing more and more upset and confused as she did.

Surveillance photos, seventeen in total, Kelly counted in horror. She pawed through them and saw photos of herself walking to her car, walking towards Sabrina's apartment building, herself through her bedroom window, her with Jill getting lunch the other day.

Then more surprises.

A picture of her and Jill leaving that basketball practice from what felt like ages ago.

Another one from the summer, her, Jill and Sabrina on the beach, five months ago.

Some pictures of her outside her house, her car, her church.

Yet another of her and Sabrina standing outside the office.

Her and Bosley sitting in her car.

Kelly's heart was racing. _What was going on?!_

Frantic now, she rooted through the leather satchel, dragging out the rest of its contents onto the bed. There were more pictures of her. Older pictures. Smiling proudly in police blues at the academy graduation. An even older picture that looked to be cropped out of her high school yearbook and another school picture from the sixth or seventh grade. Kelly dropped them, her mind reeling. The last picture was a duplicate of the baby that Greg had shown them in the Chinese restaurant, his daughter Michelle, only…

Her hands were shaking as Kelly scooped the photos back up and, not caring about covering her tracks, messily swept them all back in the binder they had come from. She stuffed it back in the satchel and flung it back in its corner, feeling like she was about to be ill.

Why did he have those? Where did he get them?

Kelly was so worked up, she didn't hear the voices until it was almost too late.

"Oh, shit," She breathed. They were right outside. With nowhere else to go, she ducked into the bathroom, shut the door and slipped behind the shower curtain into the tub.

Not a second later, the room door swung open.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid_ , Kelly berated herself angrily.

She'd gotten so caught up with Greg and those damn pictures, she'd been careless. Stupid. One of the men had already seen her using the pay phone. No one knew she was here. If they were to catch her…

Well, Kelly decided, they just couldn't catch her.

She crouched down in the tub, slipped her gun out of her purse and waited.

"Where'd you leave 'em?" An annoyed male voice was saying as the men entered the room. Gio. The guy from the pay-phone.

Kelly listened carefully to their muffled voices.

"In the john," Came a gruff answer. "Be right back, gotta take a piss anyway," To Kelly's horror, the bathroom door opened and shut. A wild thought occurred to her, to jump out from hiding, guns blazing, take them both by surprise.

And then what?

Hope they weren't armed as well? Engage them in a firefight in a hotel hallway filled with potential innocent strangers?

That would be stupid, she told herself as the footsteps drew closer and closer to her. Even more stupid than hiding in a bathtub listening to a stranger relieve himself. The toilet lid thudded up and a steady stream of water echoed loudly in the empty bathroom. She listened as the stranger muttered to himself

He wasn't Greg, Kelly knew that much.

She forced herself to wait. The toilet flushed, the man zipped up his pants and then he was gone – without washing his hands, Kelly noted in disgust - and she was alone in the bathroom once more.

"I thought you said you were quitting," Gio grumped.

"I changed my mind."

"Well if those damn things don't kill you, Mr. Samson will, you making him wait around like this," Gio's voice warned. "He wants to check the truck before we go."

Her friend from the bathroom only snorted. "Fucking asshole, I'm driving his stuff for him, he can wait for me to take a piss."

"Yeah, be sure you tell him that."

"Maybe, I will. Let's get out of here. And turn the lights off this time."

There was a muffled response, Kelly couldn't quite pick out and then the hotel door opened and shut.

She forced herself to stay quiet for several more seconds before bounding out of her hiding place. She threw open the bathroom door and lurched back into the now darkened hotel room.

 _Truck? What truck?_

Heart racing, Kelly rushed over to the window and looked outside. From her vantage point, she could only see half of the parking lot through the palm trees that lined the building. There were a few people coming and going, but for the most part, it was empty. A swimming pool was immediately to her right, surrounded by a tall fence and below her, parked up the street a bit was a white semi-trailer, engine running.

Was that the truck?

Seized by a fit of something Kelly couldn't quite explain, she pushed open the window. The second floor wasn't so high up…

There was a ledge outside the window that looked wide enough to get a good grip on. If she could grab on and if she was careful, maybe she could hang down and drop harmlessly to the ground.

Maybe...

She could practically hear the screaming lecture she was going to get from Jill and Sabrina as she pushed open the window and carefully climbed outside.

* * *

It took a good thirty seconds before her ankle allowed her to put any weight on it.

The drop down wasn't quite as painless or graceful as she had seen it happening in her head.

Kelly grimaced as she rubbed her scraped up forearm and elbow, absolutely certain that she was going to feel that landing all over in the morning. It hadn't been quite as easy as it looked getting into a hanging position and she had left some skin behind as proof of that. Even less easy had been the landing, but as awkward as it had been, at least she hadn't broken her ankle.

Now on the ground, Kelly edged herself behind a palm tree and craned her neck to see the truck. It had to be it, she thought feverishly. There was Greg making his way to the back. He yanked open the doors, hopped inside.

 _And what?_ Kelly was going crazy to know.

Again, the urge to get to a phone and call one of her friends hit Kelly hard, but she couldn't just walk away, could she? Not when she'd come this far.

Greg appeared again, wiping his hands on his expensive slacks. The two men she'd seen with him had finally made it outside and were headed this way, she realized. Greg noticed them just an instant after she did and began making his way toward them.

 _What the hell are you doing_ , _Kelly_ , she thought wildly to herself as she limped out of her hiding place and snuck toward the back of the truck to peer around it. The three men were talking again. Greg was gesturing with his arm back toward the front entrance and that's where all of their attention was at the moment.

Without any further thought, Kelly wedged open the truck door and slipped into the darkness inside.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid_.

Whatever was in here, it didn't leave much room for her, Kelly realized. Still, she squeezed herself between what felt like stacks of crates, until she found a spot large enough to sit down in.

Breathing heavily, she pulled her knees to her chest and waited, feeling the past hour's worth of activity catching up with her. It was tight in here, she realized and took a deep breath to tamp down her growing anxiety. It wasn't that tight... she'd be alright. It wouldn't be too long.

A few moments later the truck began to move, jostling Kelly slightly and a surge of adrenaline rushed through her. A wild urge seized her suddenly, to throw open the doors and escape while she could before the truck got too fast and she lost her chance for good.

But, she fought it back. This was the only way to see what Greg was up to.

Decided, she took another deep breath and forced herself to relax.

This had to be the absolute stupidest thing she'd ever done, without a doubt, and she knew of at least four people who would agree whole-heartedly with her.

But, if she could only find out where they were going, it would all be worth it.

Kelly crouched down, peering into the gloomy darkness and huddled against the crate behind her. There was nothing to do but wait.


	23. Michelle

_I couldn't find a good place to cut this chapter in half, so it's a bit of a monster. The next chapter will be the final one. Thanks to all who reviewed, sent me words of encouragement and just generally stuck with me this far! It is appreciated!_

 _-glambo_

* * *

It felt like hours before the truck finally came to a complete stop.

The crate behind Kelly's back slid up against her one last time as her ride came to a shuddering end. Not a moment too soon, she thought to herself, pushing it back with an elbow. It wasn't so tight in here to trigger her claustrophobia, but the effort left her drained and the cramped conditions and stifling heat were starting to make her feel lightheaded. She drew herself in as small as she could and waited.

It was difficult to keep track of time, but it couldn't have been ten minutes longer before there were voices outside the doors. Not that she could tell who they belonged to or what they were saying, but at least that was evidence of people around. They continued a few moments longer and then the locking mechanism slid noisily across and the door banged opened.

Even hidden behind a crate, Kelly had to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness.

Along with the voices, there was the sharp scent of sea air about the place. Even over the men's muttering, Kelly could hear the water, the gulls, creaking wood. The docks? Had they driven all the way to the docks?

She squinted her eyes and tried to peer out the door, but without standing up, there was no way to see outside. Again, she'd have to wait.

The men unloaded several crates and then the door closed shut again, sealing Kelly back in the darkness.

The voices continued talking a little while longer and then it was quiet.

Feeling like a nervous wreck now, Kelly let out a slow, even breath. Time to get out of here and let Sabrina know where she was.

Kelly swept back the wet hair clinging to her face. It was mid-November, but the sun had been shining brightly all day and it had to be close to a hundred degrees in this damn truck. Eager for some fresh air, she climbed over boxes and crates to the door of the truck.

It had been over an hour since she'd boarded, she guessed, and in that time, she'd been giving _plenty_ of thought to what would happen if she were to be accidentally locked inside.

But, it looked like a slow death of heat stroke, an anxiety attack or dehydration wasn't in her future just yet. The men hadn't locked the door from the outside. Clearly, they were coming back, but it did give Kelly a few minutes to carefully creak open the door and peek outside.

The rush of fresh sea air was a most welcome relief.

She took a deep grateful breath and was content to keep surveying her surroundings and let the breeze cool her face. They had parked on a loading dock somewhere, Kelly noted. The back of the truck was facing the water and it seemed safe enough to slip out and climb to the ground so she did. It felt wonderfully cool outside, making her realize just how close to overheating she had probably been.

Imagine having to explain that to Sabrina on top of everything else she'd done.

Kelly peeked around the truck. There were some workers a ways up, but whether or not they were the ones who had unloaded the truck, no one who would recognize her.

There was also a warehouse a few dozen yards up ahead. An aluminum door had been halfway cranked opened, making it the most obvious place Greg's two friends had disappeared to.

Kelly wiped her sweaty face with her sleeve and looked around again. Not for the first time, she realized just how fortunate she had been to have gotten this far without getting caught. Pressing her luck any farther than she already had could be suicide.

Time to get to a phone.

Another quick glance around and Kelly decided she had her escape route. If she could make it to the main street without being noticed, she could hitch a ride to the nearest open business, use their phone and endure the screaming lecture she _knew_ she had coming before getting one of her friends to pick her up.

Again, she felt a pang of guilt. Nothing to do about it now, she'd just face their wrath when it came to it and be glad that was the worst to come out of this reckless little jaunt.

Grateful that she had dressed comfortably, Kelly slung her purse over one shoulder, ducked her head and began hurrying away from the truck.

There were a few dock workers walking around and she was the recipient of more than a few strange looks, but for the most part, they left her alone. Just another frazzled looking woman with grass stains on her jeans and a flushed red face, Kelly thought to herself dimly.

She had put about fifteen feet between herself and Greg's warehouse and her mind had already switched to the task of hitching a ride when they appeared.

Abruptly, Kelly turned and began walking back the way she came.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

Gio and his friend had just rounded a corner and were headed her way.

She'd given him a dime just over an hour ago. He'd recognize her, Kelly thought frantically, he'd recognize her for sure and he'd know something was up.

But, he hadn't seen her yet...

With nowhere else to hide, Kelly hurried back to the half-open aluminum door, ducked under it and found herself in a big empty warehouse. There wasn't much in the way of lighting, but with the large windows up above, it wasn't really necessary. She pressed herself against the wall and waited.

Outside, she heard the two men's' footsteps approach and then pass her hiding place. It was quiet again outside, but after such a narrow escape, Kelly wasn't ready to push her luck.

While she laid low, she took a moment to check out her surroundings.

The warehouse was big, bigger than it looked from outside.

There were a few doors along the opposite wall and some rickety steps that led to a catwalk that ran along three sides of the building. Kelly was so busy looking around the room that when she caught sight of what was right in front of her face, it made her jump.

There was a long table in the center of the room, a long table laden with something Kelly just couldn't get her mind around. She stepped closer until the shafts of light from the window brought into focus exactly what she thought she was looking at.

Cocaine. Mountains of it.

Some of it in bricks, some of it heaped high in stainless steel bowls, piled into measuring devices and scales, piled high inside of those wooden crates she'd been sitting next to in the truck. Mountains of white powder all along its surface. More drugs than Kelly had ever seen in her life.

"What are you doing here?"

Kelly jumped at the booming voice behind her.

 _Oh, shit._

 _Shit, shit, shit._

Alone and caught red-handed in the middle of the garage with enough cocaine to fill up a dump truck, there was nothing left to do but try to talk her way out. She turned and saw a man leaning over the railing almost directly above her.

"Oh, I'm so glad I found someone!" Kelly cried, hoping she sounded innocent enough. "I was wondering if you could help a girl out!"

The man scowled at her. He had heavy stubble all over his face that made him seem even more menacing than he was and a very muscular physique that his baggy clothes were doing nothing to hide. "Who are you?" He growled at her. A door opened to her left and Kelly's heart sank as two more men entered the room. Why hadn't she called Sabrina when she had the chance, she berated herself.

"Well, right now, I'm lost," Kelly called up to him. She eyed the two men who were close to her and forced herself to smile innocently. "I just wanted to ask if could use your phone to-"

"How did you get in here?" One of the newcomers asked gruffly. He was clad in a red and black flannel shirt and, to Kelly's dismay, not much smaller than the first guy was.

Kelly shrugged, trying not to betray her nerves. "The door was open," She turned her eyes back up to the catwalk but Muscleman had disappeared. "Look, my boyfriend and me, we had an argument. He got mad and made me get out of the car and I'm not from the area and I just need to call my friend to come to get me."

"Bullshit. Who are you, really?" Flannel Shirt asked her again. His nervous eyes flicked toward the table of cocaine and then back to her. "Are you a cop?"

Kelly gave an easy laugh. "A cop? Do I _look_ like a cop? No... I just told you-" She paused, noticing Muscleman entering the room through the same door as the second two had come in from. The half-open aluminum grate she'd come in from was only a few yards away. Her heart started beating just a little bit quicker. Maybe, if she took off…

"I don't believe you," The third man snapped, speaking for the first time. He looked a lot like a clean-shaven and less hulking version of Muscleman, Kelly realized. Brothers? Definitely related.

"Well, fine then. Don't believe me," Kelly argued and nervously adjusted her purse on her shoulder. She had a gun, though she prayed she wouldn't have to use it. "Look, all I needed was a phone, but if you can't help me, then I'll just go," With that, she turned and, heart hammering in her chest, began moving towards the exit.

Immediately, shoes began scuffing on the polished concrete floor toward her and, out of options, Kelly whipped off her purse and went for her gun.

Flannel Shirt was a lot closer to her than she thought he was. His hand shot out, grabbed her purse strap and yanked it towards him, bringing her right with it. Kelly's reaction was immediate. She jabbed him hard, catching him right in the eye, drawing a strangled yelp of pain and sending him stumbling backward.

But, it didn't matter. He didn't let go of her purse and a split second later, strong arms closed around her from behind, swinging her to the side and wrenching her purse -and her gun- out of her hands for good. Her cry of frustration mingled with the surprised shouts of the three men. Whoever was her captor lifted her off her feet, intent on carrying her somewhere that she had no intention of going.

A quick, hard elbow thrust backward stopped him. The man -Muscleman's Brother- doubled over, releasing her and Kelly, unarmed and desperate for escape, gathered her legs under her and bolted for the door.

"Hey, get back here!" A voice called. "Stop her! Jake, stop her!"

She had just an instant to wonder who the hell Jake was when she collided solidly with something big enough to completely jolt her off of her feet.

She hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of her lungs and then there were hands all over her.

Kelly panicked, knowing full well if they captured her, she was as good as dead.

"Let me go!" She gasped, kicking as hard as she could. She flailed her arms, swinging and connecting twice with something that she did no damage to before she felt yanked to her feet and her arms twisted roughly behind her. She began cursing loudly, thrashing as hard as she could, but she wasn't even close to being a match for the four men.

"Shut her up, someone will hear!" Someone yelled. A gloved hand clamped down hard over her mouth, muffling her cries to almost nothing. She tried to bite him, but the gloves were too thick. Her heart was racing, her window of escape quickly closing.

Desperate, she planted her feet, thrust herself backward and, as hard as she could, drove the back of her head into the face of the man holding her from behind.

There was a loud crack and a roar of pain that blasted over the surprised shouts of the other men. Kelly went flailing to the floor, not sure if she'd just broken his nose or her skull. Again, she bolted for the door, but her escape was short-lived. Her head whipped forward as someone snagged her elbow, jerked her off balance and brought her crashing down to the floor.

It couldn't be over yet. Kelly took a wild swing at whoever was holding her arm. She missed and a hard slap rattled her and sent her reeling off balance before she got the chance to take another. Muscleman and his brother were all over her the instant she went down. One of them snatched her wrists and pulled her back. For a moment she was falling again, but a hand curled into her hair and yanked her head up, painfully stopping her.

The men were hooting and hollering at each other now, apparently entertained by the fight she'd put up. "Holy shit, Jake!" One of them cried, Kelly couldn't move her head to see who. "Bitch broke your nose!"

Jake growled something and then a rough hand grabbed hold of her chin.

"Who are you?!"

Kelly found herself face to face with the man she'd run into, Jake the Human Wall. She had broken his nose she saw, and blood was gushing down his face and dripping onto his white shirt and the floor below him. It wasn't _much_ consolation, but it was something.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Enraged at her lack of response, he twisted his hand in her hair, wrenching her head back and making Kelly grit her teeth.

"Who are you?!"

Kelly couldn't answer, but she could try to kick him and she did. Hard. Right in the groin. He bellowed in pain and went crashing to his knees. It was enough to distract the man holding her arms and she was able to wriggle free for one brief instant.

This time she had only enough time to orient herself as to which way the door was before she felt pulled forcefully backward. She was slung to the side, nearly off of her feet, and then a heavy fist collided painfully with her cheek.

Again, she went sprawling and this time the side of her head bounced loudly against the concrete. The blow was enough to black out her vision for a second and echo painfully in her eardrums before dissolving into a high-pitched ring.

The window of escape was closed.

When the men, laughing nervously now, picked her up and pinned her arms behind her once again, Kelly was too dazed to fight back.

"Hey, look at this," Flannel Shirt called to his friends. He stood a few feet away, one eye red and watery, holding up her gun in one hand and her purse in another. "She _is_ a cop."

Kelly shut her eyes. _Son of a bitch_.

"Let me see that," Jake wheezed. Kelly watched him limp over and grab her pistol away from Flannel Shirt. He brought it back to her and then made a show of studying it right in front of her face.

"So, you're just lost, huh?" He growled, panting hard. "You always get lost with a gun in your purse?"

"Girl can't be too careful," Kelly managed to answer.

Jake made a sound that could have been a laugh. "You're a smart-ass, aren't you?"

He took the pistol in his right hand and leveled it directly at Kelly's forehead.

"Whoa!" To the side of her, the other men began to shuffle towards them in protest.

"What the fuck are you _doing_ , you idiot?" One of them cried over the commotion. Flannel Shirt, perhaps, it was hard to tell them apart. "Jake, put that down!"

It didn't faze him.

Kelly watched, still breathing hard. He wouldn't be dumb enough to shoot her, she reasoned, trying with everything she had to stay calm. They hadn't wanted her to scream so that meant they were worried about people outside hearing. A gunshot would bring half of the dock over. Besides, Jake the Human Wall, intimidating though he was, didn't know how to use her gun. The way he was holding it if he shot her the slide would kick back and break his thumb. But, since that didn't seem like much of a fair trade, Kelly kept her mouth shut.

She was right. Jake lowered the gun, much to Kelly's relief. "Nothing to say now?" He wheezed.

"We should take her to the back and get rid of her," Someone suggested from behind her, Kelly wasn't sure which one.

Flannel Shirt disagreed. "Are you fucking stupid? We can't kill a cop! Then there'll be _more_ cops!"

"Well, we can't just let her go. We need to take her to Mr. Samson," One of the men ordered.

Discord. Flannel Shirt seemed to be the closest thing she had to an ally right now. Maybe…

"Hey, it's not what you think-" Kelly slurred desperately, hoping to elicit a bit of sympathy from him. "Please, I'm not a cop, I swear. I was looking for a phone an-" A hard blow to her face dissolved the rest of her plea into a yelp of pain and whipped her head to the side.

"Shut up!" Jake growled at her. His voice was strained and he was still doubled over and wheezing from Kelly's kick. But, he'd just sucker punched her right in the face and, for some reason, that angered Kelly more than anything else that had just happened. Dazed, frightened, and not at all thinking clearly, she snapped and lunged forward, intending to kick him again.

"Oh, you fucking-"

There was a good chance that she didn't even do any damage. But, Jake was fed up with her and he let her know it.

The gun flashed out of the corner of her eye and Kelly had just a split second to regret losing her temper before it bashed into the side of her face, so hard it nearly jarred her senseless. Her vision exploded into a thousand stars. A hard fist to the stomach followed and then she was doubled over on her knees. There was a sharp kick to her side that rushed the remaining air right from her lungs and sent her to the ground, then another, even harder, and Kelly was done. She rolled over onto her side, gasping pitifully for air and squeezed her eyes shut.

She was just vaguely aware of soft nervous laughter and footsteps shuffling around her. Someone loomed over her. "You do that again, I'll kill you." That gruff, strangled voice growled at her again. Jake the Human Wall sounded like he could barely breathe, though it was even less of a consolation at the moment. He grabbed roughly at her throat and angrily yanked her upwards. She dangled like a broken puppet.

"Hey Jake, that's enough. Stop it, man."

One of the other men was speaking for her now, but Jake ignored them. "I'll _really_ hit you next time." He threatened. "I swear to God I will bust your fucking head wide open. Do you hear me?"

Kelly had no more fight left in her. There was warm wetness trickling down her cheek. She tried to look at him, but her eyes refused to focus. She nodded weakly, but it was too late to save her. Jake's arm cocked back and he hit her anyway. The blow echoed loudly in the big, empty room.

"Stop, you're gonna kill her," The same man warned. "Mr. Samson needs-"

"Shut up!" Jake spat and another blow rocked her. Half conscious, Kelly's head lolled backward and she found herself staring up at a hazy ceiling. More blood, warm and wet dripped from her chin.

"I said, do you hear me?!"

The ceiling blurred in and out of focus. Kelly couldn't have answered him if she wanted to. All she could taste was blood, all she could hear was her own harsh, heavy attempts at breathing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jake raise his fist again and, unable to defend herself, she shut her eyes tight.

"What's going on?!"

The loud voice stopped everyone in their tracks.

Kelly opened her eyes. She was on her knees, she realized dazedly. Whoever was holding the back of her shirt released her and, without the support, she sagged back down to the floor, and lay limp, trying desperately to suck air into her lungs. She wasn't sure if she lost consciousness or not, but the next thing she was aware of was the men crowded around her talking in low quiet voices.

"How incredibly fortunate for the four of you," Greg's voice was the loudest in the room, the most commanding. Kelly blinked her eyes. Her blurred gaze traveled upwards and she was able to see Gregory Samson through the haze, standing on the catwalk where the first man had been when he spotted her. Despite his grimy whereabouts, he was immaculate as usual, now clad in a dark gray three-piece suit and a bright lime green tie.

Something was wrong. The four men were oddly quiet, but Kelly was too far gone to try and figure out why.

"So answer my question," Greg's voice was silky smooth, ominous and threatening.

"The girl..." One of the men sputtered finally. "She was breaking in."

Kelly felt Greg's eyes settle on her and finally saw a spark of recognition in them. "Ms. Garrett?" He said, a bit surprised.

"I think she's a cop," Flannel Shirt chimed in.

Greg's gaze snapped over to him. "A cop?" He asked sarcastically. "Help her up."

Two of the goons grabbed her by the arms and roughly pulled Kelly to her feet. She was unable to stay there. Her head dropped forward and the two men were forced to support her weight between them. She stayed there for a moment, watching listlessly as drops of blood spattered on the front of her shirt, some all the way to the floor.

The men were talking again. Kelly forced her head up, and stared up at Greg, focusing all of her energy on convincing her legs to hold her upright. There really wasn't anything more she could do. He would probably kill her, she realized as her head slowly began to clear, kill her like he killed everyone else. Fear washed through her and settled heavily in her chest, but she faced him bravely, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing.

Gregory Samson rolled his eyes. "Why are you holding her like that?"

The four men froze.

"Like how, Mr. Sa-"

Greg's calm façade evaporated. "You're helping her up, you're not holding her hostage, you idiots!" He snarled.

The four men scampered back as if Kelly were made of hot lava. Without their help, she almost crumpled back to the floor. But, they weren't about to let her get hurt again, not with Greg standing right there.

One of them hurried toward her and an arm slid gently around Kelly's waist. Even through the pain in her skull, it was awkward. She might have pushed him away if it wouldn't have meant she'd fall. Her legs were weak and unsteady beneath her, though she tried her best to hold herself up without Flannel Shirt's help. A horrible ache in her side complicated things further and made it hurt to breathe. If she didn't know better she'd think all of her ribs had been shattered. She pressed her arm against her side, hoping to dull it enough to stay on her feet.

Greg noticed and swore under his breath. "You're hurt. Ms. Garrett, I'm sorry. Please... please, wait right there. I'll make this right," He turned and disappeared from her sight.

As if there were anything else she could do. She was mostly standing on her own and starting to breathe again, but Greg was right. They had hurt her badly and Kelly damn well knew it. Her head was pounding, her vision swimming, and there was a loud ringing in her ears. It was all she could do to just stand there if she tried to run she'd collapse before she made it more than a few steps. She wasn't sure how badly she was injured, but what she could be sure of was that she wouldn't be getting out of here on her own.

Most likely, she wouldn't be getting out of here at all.

"What the fuck, Jake?!" One of the other men whispered angrily when Greg had been gone for a few seconds.

"Shut up."

Another harsh whisper to her right. "We _told_ you to calm down." Another man's voice admonished him again.

"Shut the fuck up!" Jake hissed back nervously and the men stopped talking.

In the anxious silence that followed, Kelly could hear Greg's footsteps echoing one by one on the concrete steps beyond the wooden door in front of her. The footsteps grew louder and louder until the door whooshed open for the third time and Gregory Samson stepped through.

He looked her up and down and then shook his head. "I'm disappointed," He said quietly, but not to her. Flannel Shirt's face was blank, but Kelly could smell his nervous sweat, could practically taste the fear from the three men behind her. "I apologize, Ms. Garrett," Greg was saying, and Kelly looked back at him as he addressed her. "The actions of my colleagues in no way reflect me or my business. Apparently, they've never been taught how to properly treat a lady."

"Mr. Samson, we're sorry," Muscleman said quietly. "She came in here and she had a gun!"

"And... she saw _everything,_ " His brother added.

"She's some kind of cop," Muscleman agreed.

Greg Samson scoffed. "Does she _look_ like a cop?" He sneered.

The four men had no answer. Flannel Shirt's hold became too tight and Kelly squirmed away from him. He seemed more than happy to let her go and take a step back.

"My friends know I'm here," Kelly spoke up, in the silence that followed. She meant her bluff to sound firm and unshaken. But, though she was standing now, she was swaying unsteadily on her feet, still winded, and her voice came out scared and thin, like a defiant little girl.

Gregory Samson turned his intense green-eyed stare back at her. "I'm sure they do. Ms. Garrett, you can relax, I'm not going to hurt you," His gaze snapped up. "Which is more than I can say for this lot. Which one of you thought this was necessary?"

The four men looked guiltily at each other.

"We didn't-" Flannel Shirt started, but Greg was quickly running out of patience.

"What you do mean you _didn't_?" Greg snapped. " _Look_ at her. Which one of you heroes did that to her?"

The group fell silent for a moment until Jake the Human Wall, raised his hand like a frightened schoolboy. "I... I did," He admitted. "But, only cause-"

"But only because you're a coward. That's the _only_ kind of man that would raise his hand to a woman," Greg finished for him. He snapped his eyes up at the remaining three.

"I was just trying to get control of her is all," Jake pleaded when none of his friends would speak for him. He looked more terrified than Kelly felt. "She was putting up a fight… she-" He wiped his bloody face. "She broke my nose, sir."

" _She_ broke your nose?" Greg interrupted, with a bitter laugh. "You're my security and you let a ninety-five-pound little girl bust your face open and-" He stopped and heaved a loud sigh. "I won't even dignify this with a discussion. Would you and you-" He pointed at Muscleman and his brother- "-please show him the door?"

Jake's eyes widened. "Mr. Samson, no! Please-"

Greg ignored him and Jake was ushered out through the door that they'd all come from.

Kelly watched them take him, eyes wide and rooted to her spot. He put up a fight, but the two men were able to wrestle him down the hall. He was still shouting though the echoes rendered whatever he was saying indistinguishable. For some reason, she didn't think he'd be coming back. Her heart started to beat faster in her chest. Her head was pounding and nothing made sense anymore.

"Ms. Garrett, it's alright. Step into my office please," Greg said politely once they'd gone. He smiled and gave a grand gesture towards a wooden door that she hadn't noticed before.

Kelly stared at it. She could taste bile in her throat. She was going to die today, the realization crashed down on her and sent goosebumps raising up on her arms and the back of her neck. There was no escape, but willingly stepping into that office to be alone with Gregory Samson was not how she planned to die.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Kelly spat at him.

She had absolutely no control of the situation though and Greg knew it. She fought back a wave of anger as he chuckled softly at her refusal.

"Bring her here, Cam," He ordered and Kelly felt Flannel Shirt's nervous presence behind her. She was about to give one last-ditch effort at going down with as much of a fight as she could when Greg spoke sharply, stopping them both in their tracks.

"And you'd best not hurt her."

She felt Cam flinch. He laid his hand delicately on her upper back like she was made of glass, and Kelly decided she would just go. Greg opened the door for her and she staggered inside and found herself in a small office. A wooden desk, a few chairs, a shelf. Not much more than that.

"Go see if Jake's still making a fuss," Greg told the man who'd brought her in and, almost gratefully, he rushed off to do just that. The door clicked closed and then she was alone in this tiny room with Gregory Samson.

"If you're going to kill me, just get it over with," Kelly said bravely. She was almost confused when Greg started to laugh.

"No, Ms. Garrett. No, I'm not going to kill you," Greg told her as if he were talking to a child. He waved his hand toward a plastic chair in front of the desk. "Sit down, please."

Kelly hesitated and again Greg chuckled.

"You don't understand, Ms. Garret. Kelly," He said. "I'll explain everything. Please, sit down. Before you fall."

Kelly sat, staring warily at him as he went around his desk and dragged a folding chair from behind it.

"We know about the murders," Kelly spat at him, as he settled his chair a few feet in front of her. "We know everything, Mr. _Solomon_." If he was going to kill her anyway, there was no reason not to get in every barb she could at him.

Gregory looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding his head. "Smart girls," He said nonchalantly. As Kelly watched him, he dug into his pocket and produced a green silk handkerchief with a flourish. It perfectly matched his tie.

"I'll get someone over here to take care of that."

Kelly was confused. "What?"

"Your head," Greg explained. "You're bleeding."

He stepped forward and Kelly was caught off guard by Gregory Samson suddenly touching her face, trying to dab at the blood with his handkerchief. Disgusted, she pulled away immediately and, though her situation was bleak, couldn't stop herself from batting away his arm.

"What are you doing? Get the hell away from me," She snapped at him.

Her temper had already taken a situation from bad to worse more than once today and Kelly regretted what she did an instant later. But, instead of hitting her or getting angry, he raised both hands and took a step back. "Alright, alright," Greg said quickly. He held out his handkerchief at arm's length. "Here, take it."

Kelly stared at him in disbelief, but took the handkerchief anyway and pressed it to her face. She was still dazed, it was hard to tell what was even bleeding.

"I'm sorry that happened," Greg said quietly. He was staring at her, almost as if he was concerned and it made Kelly uncomfortable. When she didn't respond, he stood and reached for the phone on the wall. "My friend is a doctor. He's not practicing, but he's more than capable of ta-"

"I don't need a doctor," Kelly said finally.

Greg looked doubtful. "I think you do. Are you sure?"

Kelly stared at him, not quite sure if she was going crazy. "Yes," She answered quietly.

"Alright then," Greg sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. "Again, I apologize for this. I have to give credit to you and your friends. You girls move fast. _Very_ fast. That's why I had to... part company with you for awhile. I'm impressed. I must say I am very surprised to see you here." He smiled then, almost as if he were proud and gave three slow claps. "Bravo."

"There is no Eva Rossi. At least not that you knew," Kelly said, ignoring his theatrics. There was still blood trickling down her cheek, but she felt stupid holding his handkerchief. She tossed it down on his desk. It sat there on its grainy surface looking odd amongst the clutter, an island of elegance. "Why did you hire us?"

Greg frowned, looking at her with that same concerned expression. "That looks bad, Kelly. At least let me get you some ice for that."

 _Ice?_

Every moment seemed more surreal than the last. Despite her serious predicament, Kelly burst out laughing at the inanity of it all. " _What?!_ No, I don't want any fucking _ice_. What..." She lost all semblance of cool. "Just... just what the hell is going on?!"

Greg had been about to stand, probably to make good on his promise for ice, but Kelly's frustration stopped him. He lowered himself back into his chair and smiled. "You haven't figured it out," He mused.

"Figured _what_ out?" Kelly asked in exasperation.

In response to that, Greg leaned back and laced his hands behind his head. "I always knew this would be difficult, but I had no idea. This is so very difficult for me, Kelly."

Kelly furrowed her brow but said nothing. Her fear was gone though, whatever Greg was, he wasn't going to hurt her. She swiped at her face with her shirt sleeve. Not now, anyway.

"She was smart too," Greg went on, pushing himself to his feet. He had chosen to stare at the wall as he spoke, instead of looking at her and Kelly found it infuriating. "She was _so_ smart. The only person who ever outsmarted me."

"Who?" Kelly asked softly.

Greg didn't turn around. "Eva Rossi. I _did_ know an Eva Rossi."

"We couldn't find any proof of that," Kelly replied.

"You _are_ the proof, Kelly," Was Greg's reply. "She's your mother."

Kelly blinked. "What?"

"Your mother. She was so beautiful and so smart. So smart. You get that from her, you know," Greg went on wistfully. "You're smart like her. You've got her grace and her charm. We might have had something together, me and her."

"What? My mother?" Kelly blurted out in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Her eyes narrowed and, suddenly seeing him in a new light, she studied him very carefully. "Who are you?"

Greg finally turned around and when he did, Kelly was slightly taken aback at the tears glistening in his green eyes. "I'm your father, Kelly."

Kelly went silent.

"I've been watching you for the past year now, Kelly," He went on. "Just so I would know for sure. I wanted to tell you right from the moment I saw you, but I couldn't take the chance. Not after I'd found out you were a cop," He smiled wistfully. "That's some irony for you, isn't it? My daughter, the cop. So, I watched you, saw that you were working for this Townsend Agency now. And I knew I had to get closer, to get to know you without you knowing who I was, to see if there was a chance that-"

"No, no, no," Kelly sprang to her feet, unmindful of her injuries. "No. No, you aren't!" She yelled at him. "No. Stop this!"

Greg shook his head. "It's true, Kelly. You're the little girl that I lost twenty-four years ago. I've-"

"No!" Kelly snapped. "You're a con artist. You're toying with me... you... you knew I was orphaned young and now you're playing some kind of game!"

"Kelly," Greg sighed. He tried to lay a hand on her shoulder, but in her worked up state, she smacked it away.

"Don't touch me," She warned furiously.

Greg raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, sweetheart, just-"

"And don't call me that. What do you want with me?"

"Kelly," Greg said gently. "I'm not trying to con you. I've been trying to find you since the day she took you from me," He crossed the room, opened a desk drawer and pulled out a large hand mirror.

"No," Kelly said again, shaking her head.

"Look, Kelly. Can't you see it?" Greg said again, his voice gentle and soft. He held the mirror in front of her face and then leaned in behind her.

And then she saw.

Her green eyes went wide, her green eyes that were identical to his. The same shade of brown in their hair, their cheekbones, their complexion, the shape of their nose.

Kelly angrily flung the mirror away and backpedaled away. "Wh-...why? No, no, no..."

"Yes, Kelly," Greg sighed. He picked up the mirror, now cracked, and tossed it in the chair she'd been sitting in. "Please, you're hurt. Sit down. Let me explain."

"Explain what?!" Kelly snapped at him. Tears were springing in her eyes too and she knew they looked exactly the way Greg's did. The realization drove her wild. "How you... how you _abandoned_ me? So, you're my father? So fucking what?! Why did you bother looking for me? What do you even _want_ from me now? You didn't want me then... you..."

Greg was shaking his head. "No, Kelly. My Michelle..."

"That's _not_ my name," Kelly warned him angrily.

Greg sighed and ran his hand through his thick brown hair... her thick brown hair. Kelly wanted to scream. Her head was pounding. How had she not _seen_ it before, how had _nobody_ seen it before? The image of their two faces reflected back in the mirror felt burned into her eyes. She rubbed them hard as if that would make this all go away.

" _She's_ the one who abandoned you," Greg was explaining patiently. He was crying now, silent tears running down both cheeks. "She was a one night stand, a one night stand that could have been more. And I did the right thing. I did right by her. I paid for her doctor visits, I made sure she had everything she needed, I was _there_ for you. And then you were born and I was there, I was _there_ , Kelly. I held you in my arms when you were just a tiny baby. You were so beautiful. You still are. I knew it was you the _instant_ I saw you at that restaurant. And... and when-" He took a shuddering breath and, just for an instant, his emotions seemed to overtake him. But, he composed himself quickly. "I had to be absolutely certain. I couldn't afford not to be absolutely certain. I went to your house. And I found that doll... your mother's doll," He gave her a watery smile. "She had that beat up old thing in your crib before you were even born, said she wanted to pass it down to you. When I saw it, I then knew. I knew I'd finally found you. My baby. My little Michelle."

Kelly stared at him, dumbfounded. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to pick up that mirror and bash his face in with it, and because she couldn't do all of those things at once, she did nothing but stand there and stare at him.

"Your mother didn't _approve_ of my lifestyle," Greg went on, calming himself somewhat. "Even though that lifestyle had taken care of her through her whole pregnancy, through your birth. She didn't want anything to do with me or my business. She told me she didn't want me in her life. In your life."

Kelly narrowed her eyes. "Because you're a criminal."

Greg looked thoughtful. "That may be. But, this-" He gestured toward the door, toward what Kelly had seen just outside. "-this is the family business. I operate all over the country, I can take it wherever I go. It took care of her, _I_ took care of her. And then she told me she didn't want me in your life. But, _I_ loved you. And she knew it," His features suddenly darkened. "And she took you away from me. Told me she was going to visit her mother. I had her followed, but-" He laughed bitterly and tapped his index finger against his temple. "-I told you she was smart, didn't I? She gave my guys the slip. Hopped on a bus and headed west. It was almost a year before I caught up to her."

"My orphanage was in Dallas," Kelly said quietly.

"That's right," Greg replied, his voice still choked and bitter. "Texas. _Texas_ of all places. But, I didn't know that at the time. I caught up to her all the way in San Francisco."

"She left me in Dallas?" Kelly asked him, carefully.

Greg nodded. "By the time I caught up to her, you were gone. She said she'd rather give you up than have me find you. Thought I'd corrupt you, ruin you or something. She was heartless. She gave you to strangers, Kelly."

Kelly shook her head in disbelief. It seemed like the room was spinning. These were the answers she'd longed for since she was a child, but not like this. Not this mangled twisted version of her childhood dream.

"She... she wanted to protect me," She said defiantly. "To protect me from you."

"And how did that work out for you, Kelly?" Greg snapped, more harshly than he'd ever spoken to her. "Tell me how that worked out?"

Kelly clenched her jaw and said nothing.

"It was almost five years before I figured out where she'd left you and by that time, you were gone. Placed somewhere else, not one record of you to follow."

"Eva Rossi. My mother," Kelly asked suddenly, though she was afraid of what the answer would be. "Where..."

"Gone," Greg said simply. "She took you from me. She took away my child."

"You killed her," Kelly accused quietly.

"I killed her," Greg confirmed, with no emotion in his voice. "She took away my daughter. You'll understand someday. When you're a parent, you'll understand."

Kelly buried her face in her hands, suddenly sick. Her head was spinning. The room was spinning. She reached back, fumbling for the chair and sank weakly into it.

"She left you with those people, Kelly," Greg was still speaking, Kelly realized slowly. "Those people that hurt you. It took me until last year to find your trail again and when I started finding out all of the things..." His voice cracked, "...all of the things those people did to my baby girl. I went a little crazy, Kelly. You remember them, I know you do."

"I..." Kelly started, but couldn't go on.

"Esther Beamish, Warren Patrick, Robert Jansen, all of them. I had them killed them for _you_."

Kelly shook her head, desperate for this to all be a horrible dream. "No, no, no."

"They deserved it, Kelly," Greg said softly. "Tell me they didn't deserve it."

Kelly couldn't speak. For a moment her labored breathing was the only sound in the room.

"Anyone who can hurt an innocent child isn't human," Greg went on, his voice soft and soothing. It was the only thing Kelly had to focus on. "You reap what you sow, isn't that what they say? They didn't deserve to live, Kelly. Not after what they did to you. You went through hell, sweetheart, all because of your mother."

In his own twisted way, it made sense. But nothing made sense anymore.

"It should never have been like that for you. You should have grown up with me and you would have been loved and safe and had every opportunity imaginable. And _she_ took that from you."

"She... she didn't know," Kelly started weakly, but the argument dissipated before she could even start. There was nothing she could say to him.

Greg was suddenly standing in front of her. "She should have. You never give up on family," He took her face in both hands, and didn't seem to care that he was smearing blood all over his expensive suit.

"I _never_ gave up on you. _Never_. In twenty-four years there was never one day that went by where I didn't think about you, where I didn't wish to _God_ that you were safe with me. Every night I kill her again for what she did to you. If you let me, I'll spend the _rest_ of my life making up what she did to you. I love you. I've always loved you."

Kelly swiped at her eyes. She was crying now, shaking, her chest heaving as silent tears dripped down her cheeks. Being so vulnerable in front of this man, this stranger was wrong, but what he had just told her was true, every word of it, she could tell it from the look in his eyes. Her eyes...

"I _never_ gave up on you, Michelle."

And suddenly his arms were around her and for the first time in twenty-four years, father and daughter were together again.


	24. Some Kind of Monster

_**Tuesday, December 7th**_

"It's about time," Sabrina sighed, pushing herself to her feet.

She was several steps closer to the gate by the time Jill stuffed her playing cards back into her purse and got up to join her.

The overhead speaker had just announced the arrival of Kelly's flight and, though Sabrina had been teasing _her_ all week about how much she worried about Kelly, she knew Sabrina had been just as worried. She caught up to her quickly, not quite sure what her hurry was.

"It's gonna be another fifteen, twenty minutes, Bri," Jill told her, laughing softly.

Sabrina glanced at the big clock on the wall and sighed. "Yeah, I know. I just…" She paused and flipped her hand dismissively toward the glass wall where they could see the plane taxiing onto the runway.

"You just miss her and you've been even more worried than I have," Jill finished and then gave her a teasing nudge with her elbow. "Admit it."

There was no point denying it. Sabrina cracked a smile and rolled her eyes tolerantly. "Yeah, yeah. Something like that."

"Don't worry, I won't tell her," Jill said airily. "Your secret is safe with me."

Sabrina scoffed. "Why?" She said, scowling slightly. "She _should_ know how worried we were. Maybe next time she won't go running off halfway across the country by herself while some psychopath is on the loose and make us stay home and wait up for her."

Jill nodded reluctant acceptance. Sabrina _did_ have a point. What with everything that was going on and Kelly not exactly being at a hundred percent, it had been a torturous week knowing that she and Sabrina were a thousand miles away and completely helpless if anything were to happen to her in Dallas.

"I know what you mean," Jill answered her carefully, not wanting to set her off. She'd endured Sabrina's sometimes angry venting since Kelly's departure and, as much as she knew Sabrina missed her, knew that Kelly would get an earful upon her return. Not today though. Not if she could help it. "But, look, she's back now and she's okay. And that... that Greg Samson seems like he's decided to disappear and leave her alone."

"Yeah. For now," Came Sabrina's cryptic reply.

Jill caught her tone and turned toward her. This wasn't the first time Greg Samson's name had been brought up since Kelly left last week and it also wasn't the first time she'd caught that strange, pensive look on Sabrina's face. "What?" she sighed, suddenly exasperated. It also wasn't the first time she had asked.

And as she'd done all week, Sabrina only shook her head. "Nothing."

"No, it's _not_ nothing," Jill snapped, trying to keep her voice down. "Look, Kelly is gonna step off that plane in a few minutes and then I _really_ don't want to bring up this asshole's name again so tell me what's got you all deep in thought about him lately."

Sabrina heaved a tired sigh. " _Nothing_ ," She insisted, but for the first time all week, Jill saw her resolve begin to crumble.

"Tell me, Sabrina," She urged her and finally, Sabrina let out a soft groan.

She'd won.

And about time, too.

"Fine," Sabrina started. Her brown eyes darted suspiciously around the waiting area, to the small groups of people milling nearby and then, with a tilt of her head, began moving towards a section of wall occupied only by a cheery-looking Christmas display. An odd place to have such a conspiratorial conversation, but it was away from most of the hustle and bustle and with Bing Crosby crooning " _White Christmas_ " over the speakers, they'd have relative privacy from any potential eavesdroppers. Jill found herself more and more intrigued by the second.

"Look, the more I think about all those people who Greg killed-" Sabrina started once they were far enough away. Her voice had dropped to barely more than a whisper and Jill had to lean in to hear her. "-the more I wonder what would make someone do that."

Jill bit back a sarcastic laugh. "Being a crazy bastard doesn't hurt."

But, Sabrina shook her head. "No, it doesn't. But, I think there's more to it," She went on. "I started thinking, who would be motivated to kill someone who hurt Kelly when she was young. Think about it, Jill. Who would be motivated to kill someone who hurt a child?"

"Lots of people," Jill whispered back uncertainly. Whatever road Sabrina's logic was taking, she was having trouble following. "What are you getting at?"

Sabrina finally caught her gaze. "Who would be more motivated to kill someone who had hurt a little girl than that little girl's parents?" She said finally.

Jill stared at her for several seconds before her pretty face broke into a laughing smile. "Her parents?" She echoed, laughter in her voice. "Bri, Kelly's parents are probably-"

"Probably what? Dead?" Sabrina blurted out, a bit louder than she had been speaking earlier. "You don't know that. _Kelly_ doesn't even know that. What if... what if Greg Samson is her _father_? Just think about it." Her voice was getting more and more agitated now. "He comes into Kelly's life right at the same time that all of these people start turning up dead. He comes to us with this bullshit story about a missing daughter and his ex-wife and... you're telling me _that_ guy - Greg Samson, the _Babe Ruth_ of stalkers - that the only picture he has of his kid is from the early fifties? When we all would have been babies? Sort of convenient, don't you think?"

Jill raised a brow. "So, you think that picture he showed us at the restaurant was of Kelly?"

"It could have been," Sabrina said stubbornly.

"So why does he wait over twenty years to introduce himself?"

Sabrina sighed her frustration. "I don't know, Jill," She grumped. "Maybe he just now tracked her down, who knows? I think he just used us to get close to Kelly."

"And then he sent someone to beat the crap out of her?" Jill pointed out, shaking her head. This was _crazy_ , there was no way. "Why would he do that if he's her father?"

"I didn't say he was a _good_ father," Sabrina shot back. "We don't know for sure what happened that night and Kelly isn't ever going to tell us. What we do know is that Greg took a special interest in her and..." Her face went blank all of a sudden as if she'd just puzzled out something. "Hey, maybe Kelly _does_ know. Maybe that's why she's been so weird lately."

That was a valid point. Jill shrugged, not willing to let on that she was considering Sabrina's little theory. "She's had someone stalking her for weeks. That's enough to make anyone weird."

"Maybe," Sabrina said grudgingly. Her gaze settled back outside on the plane, now stopped on the tarmac waiting for its passengers to disembark and new ones to take their place. "And maybe there's more to it."

Jill groaned. "I don't know, Bri. It's a stretch." She said doubtfully, but now her stomach felt like it was tied in knots. As much as she didn't like it, Sabrina's theory- crazy though it was - did hold water.

 _A little water._

"I won't argue that," Came Sabrina's quiet reply.

The women fell silent, both lost in thought, staring outside. The boarding bridge was being put into place now. Jill watched the process with mild interest before she made the mistake of looking back up to point out to Sabrina just how flattering a blue jumpsuit looked on one of the men in the ground crew below. Her lewd comment died on her tongue when she caught sight of the look on her best friend's face.

Jill wrinkled her nose. "Oh, Bri, would you let-"

"And she kind of looks like him, don't you think?" Sabrina went on, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Jill shoved her shoulder gently. "There are millions of people with dark hair and green eyes."

"Oh, it's way more than just hair and eye color!" Sabrina cut her off. "She _looks_ like she could be his daughter!"

"Sabrina, no," Jill pleaded. "This is... no. You sound crazy."

"Do I?" Sabrina challenged her. "It all makes sense, Jill. You know it does. Stop shaking your head at me."

Jill did not stop shaking her head. "No, and again, please don't share that with Kelly."

That seemed to deflate Sabrina a bit. "I'm not," She sighed. "Anyway, that's why I didn't mention it sooner... I didn't want her running off to track down Greg, I wanted to keep her away from him as much as I possibly could. Also, I didn't tell you 'cause, you know, you would've blabbed."

The comment struck Jill so hard that her mouth fell open. "I wouldn't have!"

Sabrina gave a curt nod. "Yeah, 'course not."

Jill was quiet for a moment. She didn't want to bicker, especially right before seeing Kelly, she would instantly sense something was amiss. So instead of talking some much-needed sense into Sabrina's head, she kept her mouth shut and decided to let it go. For today. "I can see why you kept it to yourself." She settled on, sending her friend a sideways glare that, unfortunately, went ignored.

Both women lapsed into another thoughtful silence, content to stare out the window until the loudspeaker announced that it was time to collect Kelly at the gate.

* * *

 _ **Friday, December 10th**_

Jill bounded through the wide double doors that led to Townsend Agency and into the posh office.

"Hi, everyone!" She purred.

Her three friends looked up at her and gave her some kind of greeting all at once. Jill grinned widely. She was late again, she knew, but a quick glance around the room told her that her slight tardiness wouldn't be a problem this morning. Sabrina was pouring coffee, Kelly was leaning up against the bar talking to her and Bosley was seated at his desk doing...

Well, she had no idea what Bosley was doing. Relieved, she wasn't in trouble, Jill flounced over and sank into the couch closest to Bosley's desk.

"Hey, Bos," She cooed, climbing up on her knees to peer at what he was looking at.

"Hi, honey," Bosley replied absently. He glanced at his watch. "You're ten minutes late."

Jill feigned a hurt look. "Just ten minutes. I'm getting better, aren't I?"

Bosley looked up and smiled warmly at her. "Well, you can't get any worse."

Brushing off his comment, Jill leaned over and was finally able to see what it was he was so interested in. A crossword puzzle, she noticed with disappointment. Boring. "Luckily," Bosley started, fixing his gaze back to his puzzle. "Charlie is even later than you are."

The couch cushions shifted and Jill turned to see Sabrina and Kelly had both joined her. She was pleased to see they'd fixed her a cup of coffee as well and she accepted it from Kelly with a quiet thanks.

"So what's this all about?" Sabrina asked. She craned her neck to see Bosley's puzzle and then tapped her finger. "Five down is Brahms, not Bach. And Bach is spelled with a CH."

Bosley shot her an annoyed look and then discreetly began to erase. "I knew that," He muttered and began filling it in. "And to answer your first question, I'm not sure. Charlie just said to get the three of you together here and that he would call at nine. He said it was something you all needed to know."

The three girls shared a look and shrugged.

For the next few minutes, Sabrina coached Bosley through his puzzle, much to his annoyance, and, not too big on word puzzles, Kelly and Jill contented themselves with sipping their coffee and laughing at his irritation.

At just past nine-thirty, the phone finally rang.

And not a moment too soon. Bosley gratefully thrust his crossword puzzle into his desk drawer and clicked on the speaker.

"Hi, Charlie," He greeted wearily.

"Hello, Bosley!" Came Charlie's cheerful reply. "You sound flustered, is something the matter?"

Bosley stared down his nose at the girls, now giggling softly at his expense. "Uh, no, Charlie."

"Is everyone present and accounted for?"

"All here, Charlie," Jill purred. "And on time too, I might add," She added shamelessly. "You should really pay closer attention to time, you know."

Charlie gave a low chuckle. "Sorry, Jill, I got caught up in a meeting with a... very persistent client. You know how those things go."

Kelly and Sabrina shared a doubtful look. "Yeah, we do," Sabrina replied. "So what's this big news that you wanted to tell us?"

Charlie cleared his throat and there was an obvious change in demeanor even through the speaker box. "Well, I heard some news last night and I wanted you to hear it too. I thought it would be better that you all hear it together."

Jill shared a concerned look with her three companions. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I trust the four of you remember Gregory Samson?" Charlie started carefully.

Hearing his name was like swallowing sour milk. Just the sound of it turned Jill's stomach.

"Do we ever," Sabrina grumbled. "Don't tell me he's back in town."

Charlie paused. "Not exactly, Sabrina. I got a call from one of my old Army friends who works for the NYPD. It seems our friend Gregory met up with the wrong sort of people."

"What do you mean?" Jill asked, looking confused.

"I mean, he's dead," Charlie said bluntly. "A victim of his own lifestyle, I suppose. He was found in an alley with two gunshot wounds. Apparently, he was into a life of drugs and money laundering and it finally caught up with him."

A few somber moments ticked by as the room absorbed that news.

"Well," Kelly broke the silence. "I guess he won't be bothering us anymore."

If Charlie was put off by her callousness, he didn't show it. "No, I imagine not. It seems we dodged a bullet."

"Yeah," Sabrina added quietly. "Better than he did."

"I'll say," Bosley didn't look like he'd be shedding many tears about Gregory Samson either. "Do the police know who killed him?" He asked curiously.

"No, and I doubt they'll dig very hard. It seems Gregory Samson had some sort of empire to his name. With him gone, it's started to crumble. Looks like someone did the NYPD a big favor."

"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes," Jill chimed in softly. "Too bad."

The news, while dark, was a relief in many ways. It had been weeks since his sudden disappearance and while they had gotten on with their lives, Jill knew that he was still on the back of everyone's mind, a ghost that haunted them throughout their day. She had worried constantly while Kelly was away, and even after she returned, safe and sound, there was still that persistent nagging, that feeling of a lack of closure. But now Greg was gone and Jill felt like she could breathe again.

"Well, now that you know, we can officially wrap up his case." Charlie continued, though there was a certain hesitance to his voice that Jill was almost certain she knew the cause of. She shot a sympathetic glance toward Kelly, wondering what her reaction would be to what she knew Charlie was about to say. "I'm sorry that we never found a reason for Greg's... fixation on you, Kelly. I was hoping we could provide you with some closure."

At the mention of her name, Kelly snapped to attention. She'd been a thousand miles away.

"Are you alright?" Charlie probed gently.

Kelly's eyes made a quick circuit around the room, probably just now realizing that she was the focus of everyone's attention. Her cheeks flushed slightly. "I will be, Charlie." She forced a smile. "Some closure would have been nice though."

"I understand," Charlie replied. "Though I suppose this might be for the best in some ways. Judging by the lengths he went to to get to you, I find it hard to believe that he would have really left you alone for good."

Kelly was quiet for a moment before giving a slight nod. "Yeah, I had that feeling too, Charlie."

The mood in the room grew a bit awkward, no one quite knowing what to add that would make Kelly's situation any better. Jill settled on sipping quietly at her coffee and avoiding eye contact until Charlie finally cleared his throat. "Well, that's all I had for you today." He said, his voice somewhat brighter.

Jill decided to run with it. "Oh, and I got all dressed up today and everything," She pouted.

Bosley cleared his throat loudly. "That's all _he_ had planned for you," He gave her a broad smile. "I've got some paperwork that needs doing. We need to wrap up that Weavers case as well."

Jill turned away groaning and Charlie laughed. "Come on, Jill. We can't lead a life of excitement _all_ the time."

"I guess not," Jill sighed.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then," Charlie said. "I wish Gregory Samson could have faced justice the right way, but I think we can all rest a little easier, that's for sure."

The room muttered its approval.

"Enjoy your boring day," Charlie chuckled lightly. "You've earned it."

"Thanks, Charlie," Bosley crowed, eyeing the three women with a big grin. "Goodbye!"

He hung up and the line went dead.

"Well, there you have it," Bosley sighed. "It may be a bit... macabre... but, it's good to know he's not out there anymore." He glanced at Kelly, who'd been quiet since her exchange with Charlie. Her elbow was resting on his desk and he reached out to lay his hand on it. "How you doing, honey?"

Kelly looked up, caught off guard. "Oh, I'm alright. I had a feeling he had gone back to New York."

"Looks like that intuition was right, after all," Sabrina piped up. She patted Kelly's shoulder. "You sure you're okay?"

Kelly shrugged. "I'm okay," She said quietly. "It's a relief though, that's for sure."

The somber mood was starting to get to her. Eager to change the subject, Jill popped up and grabbed her arm."Well, before you get too comfortable, don't forget that we still have _some_ excitement left."

The confused look Kelly shot her made Jill laugh. "The basketball game, remember? You promised you'd help me coach."

A slow grin spread across Kelly's face. "Oh, I did, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," Jill said firmly. "You already missed the last one when you went to Dallas. I promised the girls you'd be there for tomorrow night's game," She paused for a beat. "And tonight."

Kelly looked incredulous. "Tonight?"

"For practice!" Jill insisted. "Come on, Kelly!" She pouted. "You can't break their little hearts again."

"I can't?" Kelly teased, eyeing Sabrina and Bosley.

"Aw, no you can't," Bosley gushed. "Think of their little hearts."

"Only some kind of monster would break their little hearts twice," Sabrina agreed, nodding her head.

Kelly started to laugh. "Well, in that case, I'll be there,"

"Good," Jill replied, grinning victoriously. The matter settled, she turned to Bosley. "Now where is this paperwork you're forcing us to slave over. The sooner we get started the sooner we'll be done."

Bosley put both hands over his heart. "Oh, I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

 _ **Saturday, December 11th**_

Despite it being well after ten at night, Jill was in high spirits when she and Kelly finally arrived at Kelly's house. As promised, Kelly had ' _helped'_ her coach tonight and the extra morale boost led the girls to a resounding victory. They'd treated the team and some of their parents to some well-deserved ice cream and now, tired but happy, the two women had piled back into the car to go home for some well-deserved rest.

But it seemed that ' _coaching'_ had worked up an appetite for Kelly so when, a block from her house, she offered to buy Jill a late dinner, who was she to refuse?

They just needed to make a quick stop to grab Kelly's purse and then they'd be off. For no particular reason, Jill decided to follow her friend inside. It was dark in the house so she felt around for the entry table and waited until Kelly finally flipped on the light switch. In the light, she could see that Kelly's living room was a normal ' _just finished a case_ ' state of cluttered and for some reason, it made Jill smile.

"Let me just change real quick since we're already here," Kelly said quickly, dropping her gym bag on the floor beside the entry table. "Think about where you want to go."

 _Ooh, options..._

The night was only getting better.

Jill grinned, still on a high from tonight's victory. "Hmm, we could go back to that burger place if it's still open this late."

"I'll hurry," Kelly promised and then disappeared into her bedroom.

Jill watched her go, amused at her frenzied pace. She hadn't meant to rush her, but she wasn't going to slow her down now.

And since she was already waiting on Kelly, it probably wouldn't hurt her to change either. Jill began humming happily to herself and, not thinking, let her own gym bag slip from her shoulders and onto Kelly's entry table so she could dig out a change of clothes. The heavy bag accidentally knocked into some mail Kelly had stacked up, upsetting the pile and sending half of it sliding off of the table and fluttering to the floor.

Still humming to herself, she crouched down and was scooping the mail into her lap when certain flowing handwriting caught her attention. Helen Martin's handwriting.

A magazine had fallen to the floor along with some bills and poking out from within its pages was a letter.

Jill stopped humming and looked up cautiously. She shouldn't be snooping in Kelly's business, but she had asked her friend over and over how the trip went in Dallas and had gotten nothing but the vaguest of answers. She was only trying to help, Jill told herself. Even though Kelly had been in good spirits since returning, it tore her up knowing that her best friend might be hiding some sort of mental anguish from her. She stood quickly, returned the stack of mail to its proper place and, after making sure Kelly was still in her room, quickly scanned the contents of the letter.

 _12/6/76_

 _Dear Kelly,_

 _I wanted to thank you again for what you did. I know it had to have been extremely difficult to relive your experiences and I appreciate you being brave enough to do it. The diocese still hasn't given their final decision regarding Beamish, but I will let you know as soon as I find out. I think that our testimony gave them something to think about._

 _It was so good to see you again. I'm glad you're doing so well and that you've found happiness. I wish you could have stayed through the weekend, but I know your business back home couldn't wait. I hope everything turned out alright._

 _Again, thank you for what you did, Kelly. The other girls send their love. I do hope we can be in contact more often. It's always good to have another friend. Take care of yourself._

 _Your friend,_

 _Helen Martin_

Jill read through the letter three times more, each time finding herself more and more confused and upset.

Business back home? Why would Kelly tell Helen Martin that she was leaving early? There was nothing Kelly had needed to take care of.

It didn't make sense. Unable to wait even a moment longer, Jill stormed into the hallway and knocked loudly on Kelly's bedroom door. "Kelly! Hey!"

"I'm almost done! I'm just washing my face," Came her muffled response.

Jill threw open the door and marched into Kelly's bedroom. Her bathroom door was open and Jill could hear the sounds of running water and splashing.

"Kell, look I know I shouldn't be going through your mail, but-" Jill started and then stopped and shook her head. "You know what, that doesn't matter. I found Helen's letter. What's all this about business back home? We didn't pick you up early."

The water squeaked off.

Jill's eyes increasingly narrowed, not able to wrap her mind at what she had read or what she was saying. "Who'd you lie to, Kelly? Her or us?"

Kelly didn't respond and Jill felt herself tense up even more.

"Kelly!" Jill called again, surprising herself by how upset she sounded. She clenched her jaw, feeling close to grabbing Kelly by the shoulders to get her friend to finally communicate with her. Jill finally had the proof in her hands that Kelly had been lying, and it left her reeling. "Why does it say that you left early? What the hell were you doing between leaving Helen and us picking you up at the airport?"

Again, there was no response. Disgusted, Jill swore under her breath. "Kelly! Where did you go?!" Nothing but silence answered her. Jill slapped the letter down on Kelly's dresser in frustration, fully intending to go stomping into the bathroom to drag her lying friend out if that was what it took to get some answers. But before she could, something caught her eye.

The picture of Eva Rossi, she realized slowly.

It was sitting innocently on Kelly's dresser, half hidden underneath some folded pants. Jill stared at it, a sudden understanding leaving her cold.

"You went to New York, didn't you," She accused softly. "You went looking for Greg."

The bathroom door thudded softly into the wall and Jill looked up to see Kelly standing in the doorway, a damp towel in her hands and an odd expression on her face.

She wasn't denying it and that was as good as a full-blown confession. "You did, didn't you? Why did you lie to us?" Jill asked her firmly, trying not to sound as hurt and betrayed as she was feeling.

Kelly looked away and shrugged her shoulders. She thought it looked a bit like shame, but she couldn't be sure. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?!" Jill snapped at her, suddenly much more angry than she was hurt. "What the hell kind of _stupid_ stunt is that?! You run off across the whole country -alone!- and you... you don't even tell us what you're doing or where you're going!" She was yelling now and didn't care one bit. "Are you _crazy_?! What the fuck is wrong with you, Kelly?!"

Kelly lowered her gaze to the carpeted floor and said nothing.

"After everything that happened last month, after you got the shit beat out of you?! What if something had happened to you!?" Jill raged on, emotion choking her voice and garbling her words. "You could have gotten yourself _killed_ and we would have had no idea-"

She stopped then, the words suddenly lost to her, swept away like her bag had done to the mail on Kelly's table.

 _Who would be more motivated to kill someone who had hurt a little girl than that little girl's parents?_

Sabrina's earlier words came crashing back to her, jolting her back as if they were a physical thing. "Oh my God," Jill said, her voice still shaking but zapped of anger. "Sabrina was right, she knew it. Greg _was_ your father, wasn't he?"

Kelly's gaze was still fixed on the floor in front of her. Just as good as a confession.

"Kelly?" Jill stared hard at her friend and felt like she wasn't seeing her at all. "What did you do?"

When she finally looked up, there was an expression on Kelly's face that Jill had never seen before and she knew immediately that she was going to forever regret hearing the answer. "He would never have left us alone," Kelly said quietly, almost pleadingly.

"Kelly," Jill could scarcely recognize her own voice. "Tell me. What did you do?"

Kelly only shook her head. "He offered to move me out to New York. Said he never wanted to lose me again." Her voice grew darker as she spoke, darker to match that look that Jill had never before seen on her face. "Charlie said it too. You heard him. After all that. He would _never_ have left me alone. He would have never left _any_ of us alone."

For what felt like a long time, Jill stood in silence and stared.

 _Well_ , _I guess he won't be bothering us anymore._

Kelly's earlier words echoed over and over in her head until they lost all meaning.

Then Kelly broke eye contact and time seemed to move forward once more. "He took everything from me, Jill." She said, suddenly looking very unsure of herself. "I could have been normal. I could have grown up with a mother that loved me and... and he..." Her fist shook at her side. "He took that chance away from me. He took _her_ away from me."

Jill finally found her voice. "A... a mother? What-"

And then she knew it. Her eyes traveled over to the surface of Kelly's dresser, at the half-hidden photo of Eva Rossi. Kelly's mother. When she looked back up at her friend, she found Kelly's eyes fixed on it too.

"She died because of me," Kelly went on softly. "She died trying to save me from him. She could have had a life too and... he took that away from her, took everything away from her."

 _She died because of me._

She'd heard those words before, on the night of Kelly's disappearance. Kelly had known even then, she realized. She'd known the truth that night while they'd talked, while she'd claimed her injuries had been the result of a mugging gone wrong. All a lie. She'd somehow found everything out and hadn't dared to mention it to anyone. Jill didn't know if her anger was going to get the best of her because of the lies, the vile act it seemed Kelly had committed, or because she found herself pitying her friend all the more for what she'd gone through.

Maybe it was a mix of everything all at once that made her head swim.

"Kelly..."

"I couldn't let her die for nothing."

Jill suddenly felt more tired than she could remember feeling. "Oh my God," She breathed and was grateful the bed was close by because she very much needed to sit down. "How did... I mean, what happened?" Later, she'd lay awake wondering how Kelly would have answered that question if she would have answered at all. But, she would never know because before Kelly could open her mouth, she raised both hands to silence her. "No. No, nevermind. Don't tell me. I don't want to know. Jesus Christ, Kelly. I don't know... I don't know what to say to you right now."

Kelly's gaze hardened. "I guess I'm more like him than I thought."

Jill's eyes snapped back up to her friend and the two women lapsed into an awkward silence. Kelly was staring hard at her, Jill realized, almost pleadingly, and her heart sank.

Those pleading green eyes wanted something so badly. Acceptance? Forgiveness?

She couldn't be sure, couldn't be sure if she would be able to offer that either now or later, couldn't be sure of anything right now.

Except for one thing.

Kelly was _nothing_ like Greg Samson. And, if she could help it, his death wasn't going to send her to prison for the rest of her life.

With a tired sigh, she pushed herself off the bed and wandered over to the dresser. Eva Rossi smiled back at her, the same smiling girl that had once cradled the baby that would become Kelly in her arms. She studied her face for a quiet moment, more intently than she ever had before, until she was able to see some of Kelly in her sixteen-year-old mother's pretty features.

Maybe not in looks, but Kelly was more of her mother than she would ever be of her father. And to make sure she knew that, Jill stepped closer and took Kelly's hand.

"No," She said firmly, tears glistening in her blue eyes. "No, you're not."

Jill didn't know where their friendship would go from here, but when Kelly looked at her, she could see the gratitude and relief shining in her eyes and it was just enough to keep moving forward. Kelly didn't say anything, but that was just as well.

She gently tugged the photo of Kelly's mother from underneath the pile of clothing and handed it to her with a tight smile. "We should get this framed," She could feel Kelly's gaze on her while she plucked up Helen's letter from the bed. "And make sure no one sees this." She folded it once before tearing it into several pieces and tossing the scraps into the wastebasket by the wall. "Get rid of that. You'll want to call Helen too. Get a story straight between the both of you in case someone asks."

"Jill," Kelly's voice sounded strangled.

Jill turned and, again, waved a hand to silence her. "No. Just don't say anything. If you get away with this, keep being a better person than him because that's what your mother would have wanted. You're not Greg Samson and you don't have to end up like Greg Samson. You're not a monster, you... _you're nothing like him_." Jill finished wearily."

The two women stood in awkward silence. For a moment, Kelly looked as if she were about to say something and suddenly, Jill knew that whatever it was, it wouldn't make the situation any better by hearing it.

"I think I'm gonna go," Jill said quietly. She watched Kelly falter for a moment before her friend nodded her head.

"Okay."

"Uh," Jill couldn't come up with any parting words and suddenly, she was too tired to even try. She stood awkwardly for a moment before giving Kelly a forced smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Kelly nodded again.

"Okay," Jill said quietly. She ran a hand alongside Kelly's arm and, without waiting to be walked, turned and left the room, shutting the door lightly behind her. She knew Kelly well enough to be certain she wouldn't follow.

Only once she was safely out of sight did she stop and allow herself a few moments to process everything she'd learned.

 _He never would have left us alone._

Feeling numb and cold all over, Jill let herself sag against the wall. Even if she _could_ think, she wouldn't know what to think. About Kelly, about what she'd done, about how she and Sabrina had missed it completely and let it happen. Without her permission, scattered memories of the past month took turns flashing through her mind one by one like a distorted slideshow, things she'd misinterpreted or missed until she couldn't bear it. With a soft groan, she rubbed her face and tried desperately to clear her head.

What was done, was done and a new feeling began to replace her earlier panic.

No one would be bending over backward to solve Greg's murder. It could have been anyone, men like that had more enemies than friends. She'd done the NYPD a favor, Charlie had said so himself.

 _Still..._

Jill took a deep breath and stared at the smooth surface of Kelly's bedroom door. It was still and quiet in Kelly's house. From the other side of the door, she could just barely pick up on the soft sounds of Kelly finally succumbing to an entire month's worth of pent up emotions. It hurt Jill's heart to hear it but instead of opening the door and being her friend, she stood in silence staring at its surface.

It was nearly a minute later before Jill gathered up the strength to leave.

Maybe later, once time had separated them enough from all of this, she could talk about it with her. Jill tried visualizing that as she snatched up her gym bag from the entry table on her way out. Yet again, her carelessness sent the messy pile of mail fluttering to the floor. The magazine Helen's letter had been hidden inside was on the top of the pile.

This time, Jill left it there. Deep down inside though she knew they wouldn't ever talk about this again. She'd lie for Kelly if she had to, she knew she would, but they'd never talk about it again. It would be a dirty secret between them and though things might go back to normal on the surface, it would always be there, hanging between them but unacknowledged.

Just like Kelly wanted, Jill thought darkly.

She let herself out and stepped out into the chilly night.

It was Kelly's choice.

She'd done it alone and Kelly alone would reap the consequences.

* * *

 _I did warn it was a bit out there. After watching the (terrible) fourth season finale, I wondered how much more fun it would have been if the story had focused on Kelly's "father" rather than the love triangle, especially if he had been less Daddy Warbucks and more Al Capone. Then this story just kind of grew from there. I hope it was still entertaining to read! Thank you for sticking with me throughout, especially those of you who left such encouraging words! There may be a more traditional story in the works later on, who knows!_

 _Thanks again,_

 _\- glambo_


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